Molecular delineation of the Y-borne Sry gene in the Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) and its phylogenetic implications for Pholidota in extant mammals

Yu, Hon-Tsen; Ma, Gwo-Chin; Lee, Dong-Jay; Chin, Shih-Chien; Tsao, Hsien-Shao; Wu, Sheng-Hai; Shih, Shu-Yi; Chen, Ming

doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.07.010

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Volume 75, Issue 1 , Pages 55-64, 1 January 2011

Molecular delineation of the Y-borne Sry gene in the Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) and its phylogenetic implications for Pholidota in extant mammals

Hon-Tsen Yu
- Institute of Zoology and Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- The first three authors contributed equally to this work.
Gwo-Chin Ma
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- The first three authors contributed equally to this work.
Dong-Jay Lee
- Department of Medical Research, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
- The first three authors contributed equally to this work.
Shih-Chien Chin
- Taipei Zoo, Taipei, Taiwan
Hsien-Shao Tsao
- Taipei Zoo, Taipei, Taiwan
Sheng-Hai Wu
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
Shu-Yi Shih
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
Ming Chen
- Institute of Zoology and Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Corresponding author. Tel.: 886-4-7238595; fax: 886-4-7249847

Received 14 December 2009; received in revised form 16 July 2010; accepted 18 July 2010. published online 26 August 2010.

Abstract

The systematic status of Pholidota has been a matter of debate, particularly regarding the apparent inconsistency between morphological and molecular studies. The Sry gene, a master regulator of male sex determination in eutherian mammals, has not yet been used for phylogenetic analyses of extant mammals. The objective of the present study was to clone and characterize the complete gene (1300 base pairs; bp) and amino acid sequences (229 residues) of Sry from the Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla), a member of Pholidota. The Sry amino acid identity between pangolin and other reported species ranged from 42.5% (mouse, Mus musculus) to 84.1% (European hare, Lepus europaeus). Sequence conservation was primarily in the high motility group (HMG) box (234 bp), whereas homology outside the HMG box was low. The cloned Sry was mapped to the pangolin Y chromosome by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); this was confirmed to be the first Y-borne molecular marker identified in Pholidota. Based on Bayesian phylogenetic analysis for Sry HMG sequences from 36 representative taxa, including the Formosan pangolin, Pholidota was more closely related to Carnivora than to Xenarthra, consistent with the emerging molecular tree inferred from markers not located on the Y chromosome. In conclusion, this study characterized the gene structure of Sry of the Formosan pangolin and provided insights into the phylogenetic position of Pholidota.

Keywords: Sry, Pholidota, Pangolin, Molecular cloning, Phylogenetic analysis