[Electrophoretic polymorphism of proteins and the genetic divergence of primates].

The hypothesis suggesting that genetic distances between primate taxa are smaller than characteristic genetic distances between non-primate taxa having the similar level of phylogenetic affinity, due to the specific features of primate protein evolution, has been probed. To this end, genetic distances between green and rhesus monkeys representing different genera of one subfamily, and between humans and chimpanzees representing related families, have been calculated and compared. It has been shown that the former are 2-2,5 times smaller than the latter. It is pointed out in this connection that genetic distances reflect adequately the hierarchy of the above taxa, and the existing interpretation of the "paradox of genetic similarity" of man and apes needs to be corrected. To calculate genetic distances, we used both literature data and the results of comparative analysis of 9 electrophoretic gene markers of green and rhesus monkeys represented in this work. Differences in genetic variability of these species were detected.