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Pandey P, Hyun JY, Yu M, Lee H. Microsatellite characterization and development of unified STR panel for big cats in captivity: a case study from a Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Republic of Korea. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:1935-1942. [PMID: 33566223 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06202-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The zoos manage small populations of endangered big cat species like tiger, lion, and leopard for display, research, and conservation breeding. Genetic management of these populations is essential to ensure long term survival and conservation utility. Here we propose a simple and cost effective microsatellite based protocol for the genetic management of captive big cats. We sampled 36 big cat individuals from Seoul Grand Park Zoo (Republic of Korea) and amplified 33 published microsatellite loci. Overall, allelic richness and gene diversity was found highest for leopards, followed by lions and tigers. Twelve of the thirty-three markers showed a high degree of polymorphism across all target species. These microsatellites provide a high degree of discrimination for tiger (1.45 × 10-8), lion (1.54 × 10-10), and leopard (1.88 × 10-12) and thus can be adopted for the genetic characterization of big cats in accredited zoos globally. During captive breeding, zoo authorities rely on pedigree records maintained in studbooks to ensure mating of genetically fit unrelated individuals. Several studies have reported errors in studbook records of big cat species. Microsatellites are simple and cost effective tool for DNA fingerprinting, estimation of genetic diversity, and paternity assessment. Our unified microsatellite panel (12-plex) for big cats is efficient and can easily be adopted by zoo authorities for regular population management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puneet Pandey
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine, 1 Gwanak-gu, Gwanak-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jee Yun Hyun
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine, 1 Gwanak-gu, Gwanak-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Mihyeon Yu
- Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hang Lee
- Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine, 1 Gwanak-gu, Gwanak-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Chakrabarti S, Kolipakam V, Bump JK, Jhala YV. The role of kinship and demography in shaping cooperation amongst male lions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17527. [PMID: 33067511 PMCID: PMC7568578 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74247-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of kinship on animal cooperation is often unclear. Cooperating Asiatic lion coalitions are linearly hierarchical; male partners appropriate resources disproportionately. To investigate how kinship affect coalitionary dynamics, we combined microsatellite based genetic inferences with long-term genealogical records to measure relatedness between coalition partners of free-ranging lions in Gir, India. Large coalitions had higher likelihood of having sibling partners, while pairs were primarily unrelated. Fitness computations incorporating genetic relatedness revealed that low-ranking males in large coalitions were typically related to the dominant males and had fitness indices higher than single males, contrary to the previous understanding of this system based on indices derived from behavioural metrics alone. This demonstrates the indirect benefits to (related) males in large coalitions. Dominant males were found to 'lose less' if they lost mating opportunities to related partners versus unrelated males. From observations on territorial conflicts we show that while unrelated males cooperate, kin-selected benefits are ultimately essential for the maintenance of large coalitions. Although large coalitions maximised fitness as a group, demographic parameters limited their prevalence by restricting kin availability. Such demographic and behavioural constraints condition two-male coalitions to be the most attainable compromise for Gir lions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stotra Chakrabarti
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Buford Circle, 150 Skok Hall, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
- Department of Animal Ecology & Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 001, India.
| | - Vishnupriya Kolipakam
- Department of Animal Ecology & Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 001, India
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Buford Circle, 150 Skok Hall, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Yadvendradev V Jhala
- Department of Animal Ecology & Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248 001, India.
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Armstrong EE, Taylor RW, Miller DE, Kaelin CB, Barsh GS, Hadly EA, Petrov D. Long live the king: chromosome-level assembly of the lion (Panthera leo) using linked-read, Hi-C, and long-read data. BMC Biol 2020; 18:3. [PMID: 31915011 PMCID: PMC6950864 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-019-0734-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the most popular and iconic feline species on the planet, yet in spite of its popularity, the last century has seen massive declines for lion populations worldwide. Genomic resources for endangered species represent an important way forward for the field of conservation, enabling high-resolution studies of demography, disease, and population dynamics. Here, we present a chromosome-level assembly from a captive African lion from the Exotic Feline Rescue Center (Center Point, IN) as a resource for current and subsequent genetic work of the sole social species of the Panthera clade. RESULTS Our assembly is composed of 10x Genomics Chromium data, Dovetail Hi-C, and Oxford Nanopore long-read data. Synteny is highly conserved between the lion, other Panthera genomes, and the domestic cat. We find variability in the length of runs of homozygosity across lion genomes, indicating contrasting histories of recent and possibly intense inbreeding and bottleneck events. Demographic analyses reveal similar ancient histories across all individuals during the Pleistocene except the Asiatic lion, which shows a more rapid decline in population size. We show a substantial influence on the reference genome choice in the inference of demographic history and heterozygosity. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that the choice of reference genome is important when comparing heterozygosity estimates across species and those inferred from different references should not be compared to each other. In addition, estimates of heterozygosity or the amount or length of runs of homozygosity should not be taken as reflective of a species, as these can differ substantially among individuals. This high-quality genome will greatly aid in the continuing research and conservation efforts for the lion, which is rapidly moving towards becoming a species in danger of extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryan W Taylor
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- End2EndGenomics, LLC, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Danny E Miller
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital and The University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christopher B Kaelin
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Gregory S Barsh
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Dmitri Petrov
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Atkinson KE, Kitchener AC, Tobe SS, O’Donoghue P. An assessment of the genetic diversity of the founders of the European captive population of Asian lion (Panthera leo leo), using microsatellite markers and studbook analysis. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Mishra S, Singh SK, Munjal AK, Aspi J, Goyal SP. Panel of polymorphic heterologous microsatellite loci to genotype critically endangered Bengal tiger: a pilot study. SPRINGERPLUS 2014; 3:4. [PMID: 24455462 PMCID: PMC3895153 DOI: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 12/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In India, six landscapes and source populations that are important for long-term conservation of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) have been identified. Except for a few studies, nothing is known regarding the genetic structure and extent of gene flow among most of the tiger populations across India as the majority of them are small, fragmented and isolated. Thus, individual-based relationships are required to understand the species ecology and biology for planning effective conservation and genetics-based individual identification has been widely used. But this needs screening and describing characteristics of microsatellite loci from DNA from good-quality sources so that the required number of loci can be selected and the genotyping error rate minimized. In the studies so far conducted on the Bengal tiger, a very small number of loci (n = 35) have been tested with high-quality source of DNA, and information on locus-specific characteristics is lacking. The use of such characteristics has been strongly recommended in the literature to minimize the error rate and by the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) for forensic purposes. Therefore, we describe for the first time locus-specific genetic and genotyping profile characteristics, crucial for population genetic studies, using high-quality source of DNA of the Bengal tiger. We screened 39 heterologous microsatellite loci (Sumatran tiger, domestic cat, Asiatic lion and snow leopard) in captive individuals (n = 8), of which 21 loci are being reported for the first time in the Bengal tiger, providing an additional choice for selection. The mean relatedness coefficient (R = -0.143) indicates that the selected tigers were unrelated. Thirty-four loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from 2 to 7 per locus, and the remaining five loci were monomorphic. Based on the PIC values (> 0.500), and other characteristics, we suggest that 16 loci (3 to 7 alleles) be used for genetic and forensic study purposes. The probabilities of matching genotypes of unrelated individuals (3.692 × 10(-19)) and siblings (4.003 × 10(-6)) are within the values needed for undertaking studies in population genetics, relatedness, sociobiology and forensics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudhanshu Mishra
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box #18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, 248001 Uttarakhand India ; Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali, 304022 Rajasthan India
| | - Sujeet Kumar Singh
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box #18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, 248001 Uttarakhand India
| | - Ashok Kumar Munjal
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali, 304022 Rajasthan India ; Department of Zoology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, 484886 MP India
| | - Jouni Aspi
- Department of Biology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Surendra Prakash Goyal
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box #18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, 248001 Uttarakhand India
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Goeritz F, Painer J, Jewgenow K, Hermes R, Rasmussen K, Dehnhard M, Hildebrandt TB. Embryo Retrieval after Hormonal Treatment to Control Ovarian Function and Non-surgical Artificial Insemination in African Lions (Panthera leo). Reprod Domest Anim 2012; 47 Suppl 6:156-60. [DOI: 10.1111/rda.12026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F Goeritz
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
| | - J Painer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
| | - K Jewgenow
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
| | - R Hermes
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
| | | | - M Dehnhard
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
| | - TB Hildebrandt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin; Germany
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Borthakur U, Barman RD, Das C, Basumatary A, Talukdar A, Ahmed MF, Talukdar BK, Bharali R. Noninvasive genetic monitoring of tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population of Orang National Park in the Brahmaputra floodplain, Assam, India. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-010-0471-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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López-Giráldez F, Andrés O, Domingo-Roura X, Bosch M. Analyses of carnivore microsatellites and their intimate association with tRNA-derived SINEs. BMC Genomics 2006; 7:269. [PMID: 17059596 PMCID: PMC1634856 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-7-269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2006] [Accepted: 10/23/2006] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The popularity of microsatellites has greatly increased in the last decade on account of their many applications. However, little is currently understood about the factors that influence their genesis and distribution among and within species genomes. In this work, we analyzed carnivore microsatellite clones from GenBank to study their association with interspersed repeats and elucidate the role of the latter in microsatellite genesis and distribution. Results We constructed a comprehensive carnivore microsatellite database comprising 1236 clones from GenBank. Thirty-three species of 11 out of 12 carnivore families were represented, although two distantly related species, the domestic dog and cat, were clearly overrepresented. Of these clones, 330 contained tRNALys-derived SINEs and 357 contained other interspersed repeats. Our rough estimates of tRNA SINE copies per haploid genome were much higher than published ones. Our results also revealed a distinct juxtaposition of AG and A-rich repeats and tRNALys-derived SINEs suggesting their coevolution. Both microsatellites arose repeatedly in two regions of the insterspersed repeat. Moreover, microsatellites associated with tRNALys-derived SINEs showed the highest complexity and less potential instability. Conclusion Our results suggest that tRNALys-derived SINEs are a significant source for microsatellite generation in carnivores, especially for AG and A-rich repeat motifs. These observations indicate two modes of microsatellite generation: the expansion and variation of pre-existing tandem repeats and the conversion of sequences with high cryptic simplicity into a repeat array; mechanisms which are not specific to tRNALys-derived SINEs. Microsatellite and interspersed repeat coevolution could also explain different distribution of repeat types among and within species genomes. Finally, due to their higher complexity and lower potential informative content of microsatellites associated with tRNALys-derived SINEs, we recommend avoiding their use as genetic markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesc López-Giráldez
- Genètica de la Conservació, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries, Ctra. de Cabrils Km 2, 08348 Cabrils (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Olga Andrés
- Genètica de la Conservació, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries, Ctra. de Cabrils Km 2, 08348 Cabrils (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Xavier Domingo-Roura
- Genètica de la Conservació, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries, Ctra. de Cabrils Km 2, 08348 Cabrils (Barcelona), Spain
- Deceased author
| | - Montserrat Bosch
- Genètica de la Conservació, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries, Ctra. de Cabrils Km 2, 08348 Cabrils (Barcelona), Spain
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Genotyping faecal samples of Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris for population estimation: a pilot study. BMC Genet 2006; 7:48. [PMID: 17044939 PMCID: PMC1636336 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2156-7-48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2006] [Accepted: 10/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris the National Animal of India, is an endangered species. Estimating populations for such species is the main objective for designing conservation measures and for evaluating those that are already in place. Due to the tiger's cryptic and secretive behaviour, it is not possible to enumerate and monitor its populations through direct observations; instead indirect methods have always been used for studying tigers in the wild. DNA methods based on non-invasive sampling have not been attempted so far for tiger population studies in India. We describe here a pilot study using DNA extracted from faecal samples of tigers for the purpose of population estimation. Results In this study, PCR primers were developed based on tiger-specific variations in the mitochondrial cytochrome b for reliably identifying tiger faecal samples from those of sympatric carnivores. Microsatellite markers were developed for the identification of individual tigers with a sibling Probability of Identity of 0.005 that can distinguish even closely related individuals with 99.9% certainty. The effectiveness of using field-collected tiger faecal samples for DNA analysis was evaluated by sampling, identification and subsequently genotyping samples from two protected areas in southern India. Conclusion Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using tiger faecal matter as a potential source of DNA for population estimation of tigers in protected areas in India in addition to the methods currently in use.
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Gaur A, Shailaja K, Singh A, Arunabala V, Satyarebala B, Singh L. Twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers in the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). CONSERV GENET 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-006-9121-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Sachdev M, Sankaranarayanan R, Reddanna P, Thangaraj K, Singh L. Major histocompatibility complex class I polymorphism in Asiatic lions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 66:9-18. [PMID: 15982252 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2005.00432.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica), whose only natural habitat in the world is the Gir forest sanctuary of Gujarat State in India, are highly endangered and are considered to be highly inbred with narrow genetic diversity. An objective assessment of genetic diversity in their immune loci will help in assessing their survivability and may provide vital clues in designing strategies for their scientific management and conservation. We analyzed the comparative sequence polymorphism at exon 2 and exon 3 of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I in three groups of lions, i.e. wild Asiatic (from Gir forest), captive-bred Asiatic (from zoological parks in India), and Afro-Asiatic hybrid groups (from zoological parks in India) through polymorphism chain reaction-assisted sequence-based typing. The two exons were amplified, cloned, sequenced, and analyzed for polymorphism at nucleotide and putative translated product level. The analysis revealed extensive sequence polymorphism not only between clones derived from different lions but also the clones derived from a single lion. Furthermore, the wild Asiatic lions of Gir forest exhibited abundant sequence polymorphism at MHC class I comparable with that of Afro-Asiatic hybrid lions and significantly higher than that of captive-bred Asiatic lions. We hypothesize that Asiatic lions of Gir forest are not highly inbred as thought earlier and they possess abundant sequence polymorphism at MHC class I loci. During this study, 52 new sequences of the multigene MHC class I family were also identified among Asiatic lions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Sachdev
- Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
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Singh A, Gaur A, Shailaja K, Satyare Bala B, Singh L. A novel microsatellite (STR) marker for forensic identification of big cats in India. Forensic Sci Int 2004; 141:143-7. [PMID: 15062954 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2004.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2003] [Accepted: 01/30/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
India is the home to five of the eight majestic big cats of the world. The three major big cats namely, lion, tiger, and leopard are listed in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Apart from the severe loss of the habitat, these are continuously facing the danger of extinction mainly due to poaching and hunting for their body parts, which are being greatly valued by apothecaries marketing traditional Chinese medicines. With the advent of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA-based markers have emerged as major tools in the arena of wildlife forensics. Microsatellites (short tandem repeats, STRs) are markers of choice because of their polymorphic and co-dominant nature. These strictly follow the Mendelian inheritance and are highly reproducible. We have identified a new microsatellite (STR) locus Ple 46, which shows amplification in a species-specific manner (size of STR) in all the members of the family felidae studied here. This PCR-based, non-invasive method opens a new avenue to forensic identification of big cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Singh
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
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