Personal Genomics Institute, Genome Research Foundation, Suwon 443-270, Republic of Korea.
Nat Commun. 2013;4:2433. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3433.
Tigers and their close relatives (Panthera) are some of the world's most endangered species. Here we report the de novo assembly of an Amur tiger whole-genome sequence as well as the genomic sequences of a white Bengal tiger, African lion, white African lion and snow leopard. Through comparative genetic analyses of these genomes, we find genetic signatures that may reflect molecular adaptations consistent with the big cats' hypercarnivorous diet and muscle strength. We report a snow leopard-specific genetic determinant in EGLN1 (Met39>Lys39), which is likely to be associated with adaptation to high altitude. We also detect a TYR260G>A mutation likely responsible for the white lion coat colour. Tiger and cat genomes show similar repeat composition and an appreciably conserved synteny. Genomic data from the five big cats provide an invaluable resource for resolving easily identifiable phenotypes evident in very close, but distinct, species.
老虎及其近亲（豹属）是世界上最濒危的物种之一。在这里，我们报告了东北虎全基因组序列的从头组装，以及白虎、非洲狮、白非洲狮和雪豹的基因组序列。通过对这些基因组的比较遗传分析，我们发现了一些遗传特征，这些特征可能反映了与大型猫科动物的高蛋白饮食和肌肉力量相适应的分子适应。我们报告了雪豹 EGLN1 （Met39>Lys39）中的一个特异性遗传决定因素，这可能与适应高海拔有关。我们还检测到一个可能导致白狮毛色的 TYR260G>A 突变。老虎和猫的基因组显示出相似的重复组成和相当保守的同线性。这五种大型猫科动物的基因组数据为解决非常接近但明显不同的物种中明显的易于识别的表型提供了宝贵的资源。
