State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China.
Zhejiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, 310051, China.
BMC Genet. 2019 Jan 22;20(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12863-019-0714-3.
Rattus tanezumi is a common commensal rat and an important host animal of bubonic plague in South China and Southeast Asia. The northward dispersal of this species in mainland China has been reported in recent decades, along with more recent intercontinental expansion. Population genetics of R. tanezumi in mainland China were studied to explain the relationship between dispersal history and the ancient and modern transportation networks of China.
In total, 502 individuals belonging to 18 populations were collected from 13 provincial areas. Nine microsatellite loci and two mtDNA sequences were analyzed. The results indicate that R. tanezumi populations from Yunnan have highest genetic diversity and populations from Tibet with lowest genetic diversity. 18 populations can be divided into four clusters, the first cluster including populations from southwest Yunnan, the second including two populations of Tibet, the third for populations from middle and east of mainland China, and the forth for two populations from north Yunnan. Both microsatellite and mtDNA data reveal that the populations from coastal areas are closely related to populations from Yunnan, whereas populations from Tibet are closely related with populations from Sichuan.
The results suggest that early dispersal of R. tanezumi in mainland China depended on shipping transportation, with subsequent expansion from coastal areas into Central China occurring along the Yangzi River. Further, the linkages between populations in Tibet and Sichuan point to a modern era introduction via the Chuan-Zang highway, rather than along the Tea Horse Ancient Road.
褐家鼠是一种常见的伴生鼠，也是中国南方和东南亚腺鼠疫的重要宿主动物。近几十年来，在中国北方发现了这种物种的扩散，同时也出现了最近的洲际扩张。本研究对中国大陆褐家鼠的种群遗传学进行了研究，以解释扩散历史与中国古代和现代交通网络之间的关系。
共从中国 13 个省级行政区的 18 个种群中采集了 502 只个体。分析了 9 个微卫星位点和 2 个 mtDNA 序列。结果表明，来自云南的褐家鼠种群具有最高的遗传多样性，而来自西藏的种群则具有最低的遗传多样性。18 个种群可分为 4 个聚类，第一聚类包括来自滇西南的种群，第二聚类包括来自西藏的两个种群，第三聚类包括来自中国中部和东部的种群，第四聚类包括来自滇北的两个种群。微卫星和 mtDNA 数据均表明，沿海地区的种群与云南的种群密切相关，而来自西藏的种群与来自四川的种群密切相关。
结果表明，中国大陆褐家鼠的早期扩散依赖于航运运输，随后从沿海地区向中国中部沿长江扩展。此外，西藏和四川的种群之间的联系表明，现代是通过川藏公路引入的，而不是通过茶马古道。
