06/08 – RGD now houses genes for the bonobo

Bonobos, endemic to the Congo Basin, are like other ape species in developing cardiovascular disease that is often a major cause of adult mortality in captive animals. Several important cardiovascular diseases identified in bonobos and other captive ape species include hypertension, cardiomyopathy and fibrosis, congestive heart failure, aortic dissection, stroke, and most recently arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) with associated sudden death. ARVC is a common cause of unexpected sudden cardiac death in humans, accounting for perhaps as many as 17% of sudden deaths in young individuals. Scientists from the Medical College of Wisconsin in cooperation with the Milwaukee County Zoo are trying to identify genetic causes of ARVC in bonobos through the whole genome sequencing analysis.

Once you have one or more bonobo genes, you can use RGD’s Analysis and Visualization tools to explore your gene set.

• Use the Bonobo JBrowse genome browser to view the genomic neighborhood for your gene or genes of interest.
• Perform complex queries for bonobo genes using the OLGA advanced search tool.
• The Gene Annotator (GA) Tool gives you access to all of the functional annotations for your gene list and their orthologs. Go to http://rgd.mcw.edu/rgdweb/ga/start.jsp, select ‘Bonobo’ from the dropdown and enter your list of gene symbols or other identifiers, or use this link to access the GA Tool for the list of bonobo genes annotated to the “Hypertension, Essential” disease term. Weekly updated inferred bonobo annotations from orthologous human genes for disease are available, with gene ontology (GO) and pathway annotations coming soon. Examples include nitric oxide synthase 3, NOS3, and APC, WNT signaling pathway regulator.

The Bonobo Project

Bonobo anatomy reveals stasis and mosaicism in chimpanzee evolution, and supports bonobos as the most appropriate extant model for the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans. Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 4;7(1):608. Diogo R1, Molnar JL2, Wood B3. PMID:28377592