ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0594-4732
Current Organisation
George Mason University
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Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 21-10-2015
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 21-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/JZS.12387
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-12-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-018-0733-X
Abstract: Giant tortoises are among the longest-lived vertebrate animals and, as such, provide an excellent model to study traits like longevity and age-related diseases. However, genomic and molecular evolutionary information on giant tortoises is scarce. Here, we describe a global analysis of the genomes of Lonesome George—the iconic last member of Chelonoidis abingdonii —and the Aldabra giant tortoise ( Aldabrachelys gigantea ). Comparison of these genomes with those of related species, using both unsupervised and supervised analyses, led us to detect lineage-specific variants affecting DNA repair genes, inflammatory mediators and genes related to cancer development. Our study also hints at specific evolutionary strategies linked to increased lifespan, and expands our understanding of the genomic determinants of ageing. These new genome sequences also provide important resources to help the efforts for restoration of giant tortoise populations.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 07-10-2008
Abstract: Giant tortoises, a prominent symbol of the Galápagos archipelago, illustrate the influence of geological history and natural selection on the ersification of organisms. Because of heavy human exploitation, 4 of the 15 known species ( Geochelone spp.) have disappeared. Charles Darwin himself detailed the intense harvesting of one species, G. elephantopus , which once was endemic to the island of Floreana. This species was believed to have been exterminated within 15 years of Darwin's historic visit to the Galápagos in 1835. The application of modern DNA techniques to museum specimens combined with long-term study of a system creates new opportunities for identifying the living remnants of extinct taxa in the wild. Here, we use mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite data obtained from museum specimens to show that the population on Floreana was evolutionarily distinct from all other Galápagos tortoise populations. It was demonstrated that some living in iduals on the nearby island of Isabela are genetically distinct from the rest of the island's inhabitants. Surprisingly, we found that these “non-native” tortoises from Isabela are of recent Floreana ancestry and closely match the genetic data provided by the museum specimens. Thus, we show that the genetic line of G. elephantopus has not been completely extinguished and still exists in an intermixed population on Isabela. With enough in iduals to commence a serious captive breeding program, this finding may help reestablish a species that was thought to have gone extinct more than a century ago and illustrates the power of long-term genetic analysis and the critical role of museum specimens in conservation biology.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2001
DOI: 10.1111/J.1550-7408.2001.TB00439.X
Abstract: Cryptosporidium meleagridis is a common cause of cryptosporidiosis in birds. In addition, recent reports have described the parasite as an etiologic agent of cryptosporidiosis in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised humans. Therefore, it is important to genetically characterize isolates of C. meleagridis from different hosts and geographic areas, and to develop molecular tools to differentiate isolates from various hosts or areas. In this study, a total of 11 isolates of Cryptosporidium meleagridis from both human and avian hosts were examined at three genetic loci: the small-subunit rRNA, 60-kDa glycoprotein precursor, and 70-kDa heat shock protein genes. Two genotypes of C. meleagridis were seen at the small-subunit rRNA locus. These differed from each other by the presence or lack of a heterogeneous copy of the gene and an ATT repeat. The 60-kDa glycoprotein precursor gene ided these eleven isolates of C. meleagridis into six genotypes with high sequence ersity between groups. The highest genetic heterogeneity, however, was seen at the 70-kDa heat shock protein locus, and was primarily present at the 3' end of the gene. This heterogeneity separated eight isolates of C. meleagridis into six genotypes. These data could be useful in the development of molecular tools to promote understanding of the transmission of C. meleagridis in humans.
Location: United States of America
No related grants have been discovered for Scott Glaberman.