Properties of a Hybrid Zone between Highly Distinct Chromosomal Races of the House Mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) in Northern Italy, and Comparisons with Other Hybrid Zones

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.C. Hauffe ◽  
M.D. Giménez ◽  
R. Vega ◽  
T.A. White ◽  
J.B. Searle
Keyword(s):  
House Mouse ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Hybrid Zones ◽  
Mus Musculus Domesticus ◽  
Chromosomal Races

scholarly journals Genic differentiation and origin of Robertsonian populations of the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus Rutty)

1989 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Britton-Davidian ◽  
Joseph H. Nadeau ◽  
Henri Croset ◽  
Louis Thaler
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
House Mouse ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Chromosomal Rearrangements ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Electrophoretic Analysis ◽  
Mus Musculus Domesticus ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Chromosomal Races

SummaryThis paper examines the relation between chromosomal and nuclear-gene divergence in 28 wild populations of the house mouse semi-species, Mus musculus domesticus, in Western Europe and North Africa. Besides describing the karyotypes of 15 of these populations and comparing them to those of 13 populations for which such information was already known, it reports the results of an electrophoretic survey of proteins encoded by 34 nuclear loci in all 28 populations. Karyotypic variation in this taxon involves only centric (or Robertsonian) fusions which often differ in arm combination and number between chromosomal races. The electrophoretic analysis showed that the amount of genic variation within Robertsonian (Rb) populations was similar to that for all-acrocentric populations, i.e. bearing the standard karyotype. Moreover, divergence between the two types of populations was extremely low. These results imply that centric fusions in mice have not modified either the level or the nature of genic variability. The genetic similarity between Rb and all-acrocentric populations is not attributed to the persistence of gene flow, since multiple fusions cause marked reproductive isolation. Rather, we attribute this extreme similarity to the very recent origin of chromosomal races in Europe. Furthermore, genic diversity measures suggest that geographically separated Rb populations have in situ and independent origins. Thus, Rb translocations are probably not unique events, but originated repeatedly. Two models are presented to explain how the rapid fixation of a series of chromosomal rearrangements can occur in a population without lowering variability in the nuclear genes. The first model assumes that chromosomal mutation rates are between 10−3 and 10−4 and that populations underwent a series of transient bottlenecks in which the effective population size did not fall below 35. In the second model, genic variability is restored following severe bottlenecks, through gene flow and recombination.

scholarly journals Studies of mitochondrial DNA, allozyme and morphometric variation in a house mouse hybrid zone

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
HEIDI C. HAUFFE ◽  
STELLA FRAGUEDAKIS-TSOLIS ◽  
PATRICIA M. MIROL ◽  
JEREMY B. SEARLE
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
House Mouse ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Allozyme Variation ◽  
Mus Musculus Domesticus ◽  
Morphometric Variation ◽  
Chromosomal Races ◽  
Speciation Event ◽  
Recent Occurrence

An unusual chromosomal hybrid zone of the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, exists in Upper Valtellina, Northern Italy, consisting of four Robertsonian (Rb) races and the standard (all-acrocentric, or 2n = 40) race, all hybridizing freely within 10 km2. The hybrid zone in Valtellina provides an excellent opportunity to study the role of Rb fusions in reproductive isolation and speciation. This hybrid zone has already been well studied for the distribution of Rb fusions and the fertility of hybrids, but in order to understand the dynamics of the zone, a basic understanding of the origin and genetic similarity of the chromosomal races is necessary. This paper presents the results of three different methods of measuring genetic differentiation: multivariate analysis of morphological traits and analyses of allozyme variation and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The standard race is clearly distinguishable from the three Rb races by all three methods, but the Rb races are not distinguishable from one another. This provides strong evidence for our previous suggestions that the well-established Rb races in Valtellina are closely related, and that the standard race was introduced into the valley more recently from a distant source. The fact that the Rb races are indistinguishable is also consistent with our hypothesis that a within-village speciation event involving two of the races (Hauffe & Searle, 1992) was a recent occurrence. The low level of allozyme heterozygosity among the Rb races suggests that these populations are the products of at least one bottleneck. The present article substantially extends earlier studies and provides the first detailed morphological and molecular analysis of this complex hybrid zone.

scholarly journals Murine Cytomegalovirus Is Not Restricted to the House Mouse Mus musculus domesticus: Prevalence and Genetic Diversity in the European House Mouse Hybrid Zone

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 406-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq ◽  
Stuart J. E. Baird ◽  
Jana Albrechtová ◽  
Karolína Sobeková ◽  
Jaroslav Piálek
Keyword(s):  
House Mouse ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Murine Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Mus Musculus Domesticus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Host Genetic ◽  
Pcr Targeting

ABSTRACTMurine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is a betaherpesvirus of the house mouse,Mus musculus domesticus. It is a common infectious agent of wild mice and a highly studied pathogen of the laboratory mouse. Betaherpesviruses are specific to their hosts, and it is not known if otherMustaxa carry MCMV or if it is restricted toM. m. domesticus. We sampled mice over a 145-km transect of Bavaria-Bohemia crossing a hybrid zone betweenM. m. domesticusandMus musculus musculusin order to investigate the occurrence of MCMV in twoMussubspecies and to test the limits of the specificity of the virus for its host. We hypothesized that if the two subspecies carry MCMV and if the virus is highly specific to its host, divergent MCMV lineages would have codiverged with their hosts and would have a geographical distribution constrained by the host genetic background. A total of 520 mice were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and/or nested PCR targeting the M94 gene. Seropositive and PCR-positive individuals were found in bothMussubspecies. Seroprevalence was high, at 79.4%, but viral DNA was detected in only 41.7% of mice. Sequencing revealed 20 haplotypes clustering in 3 clades that match the host genetic structure in the hybrid zone, showing 1 and 2 MCMV lineages inM. m. domesticusandM. m. musculus, respectively. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor (1.1 million years ago [Mya]) of the MCMVs matches that of their hosts. In conclusion, MCMV has coevolved with these hosts, suggesting that its diversity in nature may be underappreciated, since other members of the subgenusMuslikely carry different MCMVs.IMPORTANCEMurine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is a betaherpesvirus of the house mouse,Mus musculus domesticus, an important lab model for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. The majority of lab studies are based on only two strains of MCMVs isolated fromM. m. domesticus, Smith and K181, the latter derived from repeated passage of Smith in mouse submaxillary glands. The presence of MCMV in other members of theMussubgenus had not even been investigated. By screening mouse samples collected in the European house mouse hybrid zone betweenM. m. domesticusandM. m. musculus, we show that MCMV is not restricted to theM. m. domesticussubspecies and that MCMVs likely codiverged with theirMushosts. Thus, the diversity of MCMV in nature may be seriously underappreciated, since other members of the subgenusMuslikely carry their own MCMV lineages.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document