A study led by a team of scientists from the University of Calgary in Canada and the University of Liverpool in the UK is following the Capuchin monkey genome to discover new hereditary suggestions about how the breed’s long life expectancy and minds came to fruition large.
Through the findings published in the American journal PNAS, Professor Joao Pedro De Magalhaes, who is studying aging at the University of Liverpool, explained, “ Capuchins in any monkey and can survive beyond the age of 50, despite their small size. , but their genetic origins have not yet been studied. “
The researchers developed and researched a collection of information for white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) to study the evolution of these markers.
Through a comparative genomics approach spanning a wide variety of mammals, they identified genes under evolutionary selection related to longevity and brain development.
“We found signatures of advanced selection of genes that fall under both traits, which will help us to better understand how these traits grow. In addition, we found evidence of genetic modification to thirst and seasonal environments by looking at numbers of capuchins from rainforest and seasonal dry forest, ”said senior author and Canadian Research Chair Amanda Melin who has studied capuchin monkey behavior and genetics for nearly 20 years.
The researchers identified genes associated with DNA damage response, metabolism, cell cycle, and insulin signaling. DNA damage is thought to be a major contributor to aging and previous studies by Professor de Magalhaes and others have shown that genes involved in DNA damage responses show life-long specific selection patterns in mammals.
“Indeed, as age-related genes often play multiple roles it is impossible to determine whether selection in these genes is associated with aging or historical markers. other lifetimes, such as growth rates and developmental stages, which itself is associated with longevity, “said Dr De Magalhaes.
“While we should be mindful of the biological significance of our decisions, it is shameful to think that, as in other species, changes in genes or specific age-related pathways may contribute to longevity of capuchins, “he said.
The team’s vision was made possible by the development of a new device to more effectively separate DNA from primate dirt.
FecalFACS uses an existing mechanism developed to differentiate cell types in body fluids – for example, to differentiate different cell types in blood for cancer screening – and to apply it. in primary faecal samples.
“This is a major setback because the conventional method of extracting DNA from dirt results in approximately 95-99 percent of the DNA coming from gut microbes and food items. A lot of money has been spent following genomes from different organisms than the mammals we are trying to study.
Because of this, when wildlife biologists need whole genomes, they have to rely on more real sources of DNA, such as blood, saliva, or tissue – but as you might expect, these are fine. difficult to come when studying endangered animals, “explained the lead author of the study, Dr. Joseph Orkin, who completed work on this project as a graduate scholar at the University of Calgary, and instead where it is today at Universitat Pompeu Fabra-CSIC in Barcelona.
“FecalFACS ultimately provides a way to sort whole genomes from free mammals using readily available non-invasive samples, which could help future conservation efforts,” he said. .
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This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes.