PMID: 9419238Feb 21, 1998Paper

Unexpected conservation of the X-linked color vision gene in nocturnal prosimians: evidence from two bush babies

Journal of Molecular Evolution
Y H ZhouW H Li

Abstract

Bush babies have had a long history of nocturnal life and it would be interesting to know whether their color vision genes have become degenerate. Therefore, we used PCR techniques to sequence the X-linked pigment gene of two of these nocturnal prosimians: Galago senegalensis and Otolemur garnettii. Southern hybridization of genomic DNA of G. senegalensis showed a single X-linked pigment gene. Interestingly, the deduced pigment sequences of the two bush babies are identical. By comparing the X-linked pigments of bush baby, human, squirrel monkey, and marmoset, 38 variable positions were identified. At those positions that may cause a spectral shift, the bush baby pigment has identical or biochemically similar residues to those of the marmoset cone pigment with a spectral peak of 543 nm. This result is consistent with the estimate of 544-545 nm for the spectral peak of the X-linked pigment of Otolemur crassicaudatus, which is closely related to Otolemur garnettii. The neighbor-joining tree of mammalian X-linked pigments showed a significantly shorter branch in the bush baby lineage than in other primate lineages. A relative rate test showed that the nonsynonymous substitution rate of the bush baby X-linked pigment gene is about ...Continue Reading

Citations

Oct 13, 2000·Progress in Retinal and Eye Research·P K Ahnelt, H Kolb
Sep 30, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ying TanWen-Hsiung Li
Nov 13, 1998·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·S BoissinotW H Li
Mar 18, 2004·American Journal of Primatology·Nathaniel J Dominy, Peter W Lucas
Nov 26, 1999·Nature·Y Tan, W H Li
Dec 23, 2003·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Peter W LucasBrian W Darvell

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