Russian scientists were the first in the world to decipher the jaguarundi genome
A group of scientists from the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, St. Petersburg State University and the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences were able to decipher the genome of the jaguarundi, a wild cat that lives in Central and South America. There have been no such studies in the world before, according to the Journal of Heredity.
Genetic analysis helps prevent the extinction of certain species. So, in the wild, not so many gazelles have survived. But these animals live in large numbers on farms, in zoos and on ranches, that is, the general genetic diversity of the population is quite large. This is important for projects to gradually return gazelles to their natural habitats.
If genetic diversity is decreasing, then you can try to increase it by artificial reproduction. With the advent of new generations, the overall genetic health of the species will improve. The analysis also allows you to track dangerous mutations.
The jaguarundi is not yet an endangered species, but its genome is of interest to science. It is the closest relative of cheetahs and cougars, but all three species look and hunt differently. DNA analysis helps to understand what genetic characteristics affect the appearance and behavior of an animal.
The scientists noted that they identified the structure and organization of the genome with high accuracy. There are not many examples of such work for large cats and mammals in general. The study showed that the structure of the jaguarundi genome is extremely conservative, which is typical for felines. It showed no signs of population depletion or harmful mutations. In the future, geneticists plan to make a comparison with a cheetah and a puma, since their genomes have already been deciphered.
Earlier it was reported that scientists have deciphered the oldest European genome. It is about 45 thousand years old.
