The chimpanzee genome: a path for research and reflection
2005/08/31 Rementeria Argote, Nagore - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa
Sequencing the genome of the chimpanzee. And the researchers have already begun to compare the evolution of the human genome with that of the chimpanzee.
The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is an animal that is not like any other animal for the human being; its look moves curiosity. It is not useless the animal species closest to the human being — it is believed that both species were separated six million years ago. For this reason, comparing the genome of chimpanzee with that of man allows to know better the human evolution. First, it is observed that the genomes of man and chimpanzee are very similar (they have 96% of the genome) and encode similar proteins.
The first draft of the chimpanzee genome has been produced by the Consortium for the Sequence and Analysis of the Chimpanzee Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium. According to the head of this organization, “the comparison of the human genome with other organisms is an enormously powerful tool for the understanding of human biology.”
In the research consortium, 67 researchers have worked. In this way, several investigations have been published at the same time, and there is no doubt that they will have great repercussions on the media. In the journals Nature and Science eleven articles have been published on this subject and, in addition to the investigations, they have given rise to reflection, because it must be taken into account that the chimpanzee, and in general all the great primates, are in danger.
Research includes the evolution of expression and gene sequence of different organs, such as the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and testicles. And it seems that most genes have followed the same evolutionary model, called “neutral theory” (genetic changes in evolution have no positive or negative effects and yet pass on to the coming generations). The X chromosome of the cells of the testicles, however, has followed another model: “positive selection”.
Another of the conclusions they have drawn is that in the genes expressed in the brain, there have been more changes than in other organs, and that in humans, these changes have been much more numerous than in chimpanzees. This confirms the vital importance of the brain in human evolution.
