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Molecular Phylogeny of the Gayal in Yunnan China Inferred from the Analysis of Cytochrome b Gene Entire Sequences |
S. P. Li, H. Chang*, G. L. Ma, H. Y. Cheng |
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Correspondence:
H. Chang, |
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Abstract |
The gayal (Bos frontalis) in China is a very rare semi-wild and semi-domestic bovine species. There still exist remarkable divergences on the gayal??s origin and taxonomic status. In the present study, the cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene entire sequences (1,140 bp) of 11 gayals in Yunnan China were analyzed. Combined with other bovine Cyt b sequences cited in GenBank, the phylogenetic trees of genus Bos were reconstructed by neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum parsimony (MP) methods with Bubalus bubalis as outgroup. Sequence analysis showed that, among 1,140 sites compared for 11 gayals, 95 variable sites (8.33% of all sites) and 6 different haplotypes were observed, showing abundant mitochondrial genetic diversity in gayals. Both NJ and MP trees demonstrated that gayals in this study were markedly divided into three embranchments: one embranchment clustering with Bos gaurus, another clustering with Bos taurus, and the third clustering with Bos indicus. The result of phylogenetic analysis suggested that the gayal might be the domesticated form of the gaur, and a great proportion of the gayal bloodline in China was invaded by other bovine species. |
Keywords:
Gayal (Bos frontalis); Cytochrome b Gene; Molecular Phylogeny |
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