Figure 5.

Distribution of CERV 2 elements among primates. Species surveyed include human (Homo sapiens), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), bonobo (Pan paniscus), gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), crab eating monkey (Macaca fascicularis), rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatto), pig tailed monkey (Macaca nemestrina), black headed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), wooly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha), red-chested mustached tamari (Saguinus labiatus), and ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta). (a) PCR was conducted using primers designed in the RT region of chimpanzee CERV 2 element. The PCR results indicate that the CERV 2 element is present in chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla and absent in other primates. (b) Southern hybridization was carried out on the DNA of the primates with negative PCR results using a probe designed in the RT region. The results indicate that CERV 2 like elements are present in chimpanzee, crab eating macaque, rhesus monkey and pig tailed monkey. Though the same amount of DNA was loaded in all lanes, the strength of hybridization is higher in old world monkeys than in chimpanzees, suggesting a higher copy number of CERV 2 elements in old world monkeys than in chimpanzees. Below the figure, a restriction map (chimpanzee sequence from chromosome 5 position 53871447.. 53880194 (NCBI build 1 version 1)) is presented in relation to the hybridization probe, HindIII (triangles). (c) The results from the combined PCR and Southern analyses demonstrate a patchy distribution of CERV 2 elements among primates.