A core set of microsatellite markers for conservation genetics studies of Korean goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) and its cross-species amplification in Caprinae species

In order to screen microsatellites for conservation genetics studies of the species, a total of 23 microsatellite loci from Korean goral (Naemorhedus caudatus), including 15 previously developed loci and 8 new loci in this study, were tested. Eleven microsatellites were screened and subjected to cross-species amplification using a test panel of four Caprinae species, Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus), Chinese gorals (Naemorhedus goral), Northern chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and domestic goats (Capra hircus). In addition, all eleven microsatellites (SY3A, SY12A, SY12B, SY48, SY58, SY71, SY76, SY84, SY84B, SY112, and SY129) satisfied the criteria to be a core set of microsatellites. This core set of microsatellites and cross-species amplification of Korean goral microsatellites were found to be helpful for high-resolution studies for conservation and management of Korean goral and other endangered Caprinae species

Subspecific Status of the Korean Tiger Inferred by Ancient DNA Analysis

The tiger population that once inhabited the Korean peninsula was initially considered a unique subspecies (Panthera tigris coreensis), distinct from the Amur tiger of the Russian Far East (P. t. altaica). However, in the following decades, the population of P. t. coreensis was classified as P. t. altaica and hence forth the two populations have been considered the same subspecies. From an ecological point of view, the classification of the Korean tiger population as P. t. altaica is a plausible conclusion. Historically, there were no major dispersal barriers between the Korean peninsula and the habitat of Amur tigers in Far Eastern Russia and northeastern China that might prevent gene flow, especially for a large carnivore with long-distance dispersal abilities. However, there has yet to be a genetic study to confirm the subspecific status of the Korean tiger. Bone samples from four tigers originally caught in the Korean peninsula were collected from two museums in Japan and the United States. Eight mitochondrial gene fragments were sequenced and compared to previously published tiger subspecies\u27 mtDNA sequences to assess the phylogenetic relationship of the Korean tiger. Three individuals shared an identical haplotype with the Amur tigers. One specimen grouped with Malayan tigers, perhaps due to misidentification or mislabeling of the sample. Our results support the conclusion that the Korean tiger should be classified as P. t. altaica, which has important implications for the conservation and reintroduction of Korean tigers

Spinal epidural hematoma related to an epidural catheter in a cardiac surgery patient -A case report-

The addition of thoracic epidural anesthesia to general anesthesia during cardiac surgery may have a beneficial effect on clinical outcome. However, epidural catheter insertion in a patient anticoagulated with heparin may increase the risk of epidural hematoma. We report a case of epidural hematoma in a 55-year-old male patient who had a thoracic epidural placed under general anesthesia preceding uneventful mitral valve replacement and tricuspid valve annular plasty. During the immediate postoperative period and first postoperative day, prothrombin time (PT) and activate partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were mildly prolonged. On the first postoperative day, he complained of motor weakness of the lower limbs and back pain. An immediate MRI of the spine was performed and it revealed an epidural hematoma at the T5-6 level. Rapid surgical decompression resulted in a recovery of his neurological abnormalities to near normal levels. Management and preventing strategies of epidural hematoma are discussed

Yellow sea mediated segregation between North East AsianDryophytesspecies

While comparatively few amphibian species have been described on the North East Asian mainland in the last decades, several species have been the subject of taxonomical debates in relation to the Yellow sea. Here, we sampledDryophytessp. treefrogs from the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China to clarify the status of this clade around the Yellow sea and determine the impact of sea level change on treefrogs' phylogenetic relationships. Based on genetics, call properties, adult morphology, tadpole morphology and niche modelling, we determined the segregated status species ofD.suweonensisandD.immaculatus. We then proceeded to describe a new treefrog species,D.flaviventrissp. nov., from the central lowlands of the Republic of Korea. The new species is geographically segregated fromD.suweonensisby the Chilgap mountain range and known to occur only in the area of Buyeo, Nonsan and Iksan in the Republic of Korea. While the Yellow sea is the principal element to the current isolation of the three clades, the paleorivers of the Yellow sea basin are likely to have been the major factor for the divergences within this clade. We recommend conducting rapid conservation assessments as these species are present on very narrow and declining ranges

Myotis rufoniger genome sequence and analyses: M-rufoniger's genomic feature and the decreasing effective population size of Myotis bats

Myotis rufoniger is a vesper bat in the genus Myotis. Here we report the whole genome sequence and analyses of the M. rufoniger. We generated 124 Gb of short-read DNA sequences with an estimated genome size of 1.88 Gb at a sequencing depth of 66x fold. The sequences were aligned to M. brandtii bat reference genome at a mapping rate of 96.50% covering 95.71% coding sequence region at 10x coverage. The divergence time of Myotis bat family is estimated to be 11.5 million years, and the divergence time between M. rufoniger and its closest species M. davidii is estimated to be 10.4 million years. We found 1,239 function-altering M. rufoniger specific amino acid sequences from 929 genes compared to other Myotis bat and mammalian genomes. The functional enrichment test of the 929 genes detected amino acid changes in melanin associated DCT, SLC45A2, TYRP1, and OCA2 genes possibly responsible for the M. rufoniger's red fur color and a general coloration in Myotis. N6AMT1 gene, associated with arsenic resistance, showed a high degree of function alteration in M. rufoniger. We further confirmed that the M. rufoniger also has batspecific sequences within FSHB, GHR, IGF1R, TP53, MDM2, SLC45A2, RGS7BP, RHO, OPN1SW, and CNGB3 genes that have already been published to be related to bat's reproduction, lifespan, flight, low vision, and echolocation. Additionally, our demographic history analysis found that the effective population size of Myotis clade has been consistently decreasing since similar to 30k years ago. M. rufoniger's effective population size was the lowest in Myotis bats, confirming its relatively low genetic diversity

Comparison of carnivore, omnivore, and herbivore mammalian genomes with a new leopard assembly.

BACKGROUND: There are three main dietary groups in mammals: carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. Currently, there is limited comparative genomics insight into the evolution of dietary specializations in mammals. Due to recent advances in sequencing technologies, we were able to perform in-depth whole genome analyses of representatives of these three dietary groups. RESULTS: We investigated the evolution of carnivory by comparing 18 representative genomes from across Mammalia with carnivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous dietary specializations, focusing on Felidae (domestic cat, tiger, lion, cheetah, and leopard), Hominidae, and Bovidae genomes. We generated a new high-quality leopard genome assembly, as well as two wild Amur leopard whole genomes. In addition to a clear contraction in gene families for starch and sucrose metabolism, the carnivore genomes showed evidence of shared evolutionary adaptations in genes associated with diet, muscle strength, agility, and other traits responsible for successful hunting and meat consumption. Additionally, an analysis of highly conserved regions at the family level revealed molecular signatures of dietary adaptation in each of Felidae, Hominidae, and Bovidae. However, unlike carnivores, omnivores and herbivores showed fewer shared adaptive signatures, indicating that carnivores are under strong selective pressure related to diet. Finally, felids showed recent reductions in genetic diversity associated with decreased population sizes, which may be due to the inflexible nature of their strict diet, highlighting their vulnerability and critical conservation status. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a large-scale family level comparative genomic analysis to address genomic changes associated with dietary specialization. Our genomic analyses also provide useful resources for diet-related genetic and health research

Dopamine is critical for courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Male courtship in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is an innate behavior influenced by sensory input and experience. Various aspects of male courtship behavior including motivation, pleasure, motor control, learning and memory are modulated by dopamine. For instance, the flies with increased dopamine levels show enhanced courtship activity. In Drosophila, there are four known types of dopamine receptors including D1 receptor dDA1, D2 receptor dD2R, D5 receptor DAMB, and the novel dopamine ecdysone receptor DopEcR that binds both dopamine and ecdysone steroid. The aim of this study is to elucidate the role of DopEcR in male courtship behavior. To investigate basal courtship behavior and courtship motivation, we examined 4-5 day old naïve males paired with either decapitated or intact virgin females. Courtship characteristics examined include latency of courtship initiation, courtship duration and bouts, and copulation latency. The genotypes used in this study are the male flies deficient in DopEcR (DER) and dopamine transporter DAT (fumin) as well as the wild-type Canton-S as a control. We hypothesize that DER (decreased dopamine signal only via DopEcR) or fumin (increased dopamine activity) will exhibit decreased or increased basal courtship levels, respectively, compared to wild-type males. Immunohistochemical studies are in progress to map the functional brain regions where the dopamine receptor DopEcR and DAT mediate courtship behavior. Knowledge obtained from this study will provide critical insights into the role of the dopamine system in Drosophila courtship behavior and its potential connections to behavioral plasticity

The complete mitochondrial genome information of Phoxinus phoxinus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) on the Korean Peninsula and the phylogenetic implication

Phoxinus phoxinus is a small Leuciscinae species predominantly found in cool and well-oxygenated streams throughout a wide area encompassing Europe, Siberia and East Asia. It is believed that the populations in Korea hold important clues to how the species has been distributed south along the Eurasian continent to the Korean Peninsula. We characterized the complete mitochondrial genomes of two individual fin-clip samples collected from the two Korean river systems. The whole sequences were 17,665 and 18,220 bp, respectively, and included 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. The genome size difference was due to the considerably different sizes of the control region. The overall genome structures were identical to those observed in other Leuciscinae species

A molecular genetic approach for species identification of mammals and sex determination of birds in a forensic case of poaching from South Korea

DNA-based analysis was performed using partial mitochondrial cytochrome b genes of five mammalian specimens and Chromo-Helicase-DNA-binding (CHD) genes of five pheasants to determine whether specimens were from illegally hunted animals. Mammalian specimens were identified as being those of horse, roe deer, and cow through gene amplification using cytb981f and cytb981r primer set and sequencing. CHD genes were revealed to be those of three male and two female pheasants through polymerase chain reaction amplification. Because hunting of roe deers and female pheasants is prohibited in Korea, these results provided forensic evidences of illegal wild animal hunting.This study was supported in part by a grant from the Brain Korea 21 Project and the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Korea. We thank Jeju district public prosecutors for providing the specimen samples