Short poly-glutamine repeat in the androgen receptor in New World monkeys

Chihiro Hiramatsu; Annika Paukner; Hika Kuroshima; Kazuo Fujita; Stephen J Suomi; Miho Inoue-Murayama

doi:10.1016/j.mgene.2017.08.006

Short poly-glutamine repeat in the androgen receptor in New World monkeys

Meta Gene. 2017 Dec:14:105-113. doi: 10.1016/j.mgene.2017.08.006. Epub 2017 Sep 1.

Authors

Chihiro Hiramatsu^{1

2}, Annika Paukner³, Hika Kuroshima⁴, Kazuo Fujita⁴, Stephen J Suomi³, Miho Inoue-Murayama^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Science, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Postal address: 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minamiku, Fukuoka, 815-8540, Japan.
² Physiological Anthropology Research Center, Kyushu University, Postal address: 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minamiku, Fukuoka, 815-8540, Japan.
³ Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health Postal address: Elmer School RD Room 217, Poolesville, MD 20837, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Postal address: Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
⁵ Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Postal address: Tanaka-Sekiden-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8203, Japan.
⁶ Wildlife Genome Collaborative Research Group, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Postal address: 16-2, Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.

Abstract

The androgen receptor mediates various physiological and developmental functions and is highly conserved in mammals. Although great intraspecific length polymorphisms in poly glutamine (poly-Q) and poly glycine (poly-G) regions of the androgen receptor in humans, apes and several Old World monkeys have been reported, little is known about the characteristics of these regions in New World monkeys. In this study, we surveyed 17 species of New World monkeys and found length polymorphisms in these regions in three species (common squirrel monkeys, tufted capuchin monkeys and owl monkeys). We found that the poly-Q region in New World monkeys is relatively shorter than that in catarrhines (humans, apes and Old World monkeys). In addition, we observed that codon usage for poly-G region in New World monkeys is unique among primates. These results suggest that the length of polymorphic regions in androgen receptor genes have evolved uniquely in New World monkeys.

Keywords: Androgen receptor; Microsatellite repeat; New World monkey; Polymorphism.

Abstract

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