Comparative genomics reveals the hybrid origin of a macaque group

Bao Lin Zhang, Wu Chen, Zefu Wang, Wei Pang, Meng Ting Luo, Sheng Wang, Yong Shao, Wen Qiang He, Yuan Deng, Long Zhou, Jiawei Chen, Min Min Yang, Yajiang Wu, Lu Wang, Hugo Fernández-Bellon, Sandra Molloy, Hélène Meunier, Fanélie Wanert, Lukas Kuderna, Tomas Marques-BonetChristian Roos, Xiao Guang Qi, Ming Li, Zhijin Liu, Mikkel Heide Schierup, David N. Cooper, Jianquan Liu, Yong Tang Zheng, Guojie Zhang, Dong Dong Wu

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17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Although species can arise through hybridization, compelling evidence for hybrid speciation has been reported only rarely in animals. Here, we present phylogenomic analyses on genomes from 12 macaque species and show that the fascicularis group originated from an ancient hybridization between the sinica and silenus groups ~3.45 to 3.56 million years ago. The X chromosomes and low-recombination regions exhibited equal contributions from each parental lineage, suggesting that they were less affected by subsequent backcrossing and hence could have played an important role in maintaining hybrid integrity. We identified many reproduction-associated genes that could have contributed to the development of the mixed sexual phenotypes characteristic of the fascicularis group. The phylogeny within the silenus group was also resolved, and functional experimentation confirmed that all extant Western silenus species are susceptible to HIV-1 infection. Our study provides novel insights into macaque evolution and reveals a hybrid speciation event that has occurred only very rarely in primates.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadd3580
JournalScience Advances
Volume9
Issue22
ISSN2375-2548
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023

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