Molecular evidence from retroposons that whales form a clade within even-toed ungulates

Mitsuru Shimamura, Hiroshi Yasue, Kazuhiko Ohshima, Hideaki Abe, Hidehiro Kato, Toshiya Kishiro, Mutsuo Goto, Isao Munechika and Norihiro Okada ()
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Mitsuru Shimamura: Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Hiroshi Yasue: Animal Genome Research Group, National Institute of Animal Industry
Kazuhiko Ohshima: Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Hideaki Abe: Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Hidehiro Kato: Large Cetacean Section, National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries
Toshiya Kishiro: Large Cetacean Section, National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries
Mutsuo Goto: Genetic Ecology Section, The Institute of Cetacean Research
Isao Munechika: Chiba Zoological Park
Norihiro Okada: Faculty of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Nature, 1997, vol. 388, issue 6643, 666-670

Abstract: Abstract The origin of whales and their transition from terrestrial life to a fully aquatic existence has been studied in depth. Palaeontological1,2, morphological3 and molecular studies4,5,6,7 suggest that the order Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) is more closely related to the order Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates, including cows, camels and pigs) than to other ungulate orders. The traditional view that the order Artiodactyla is monophyletic has been challenged by molecular analyses of variations in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA5,6,7. We have characterized two families of short interspersed elements (SINEs) that were present exclusively in the genomes of whales, ruminants and hippopotamuses, but not in those of camels and pigs. We made an extensive survey of retropositional events that might have occurred during the divergence of whales and even-toed ungulates. We have characterized nine retropositional events of a SINE unit, each of which provides phylogenetic resolution of the relationships among whales, ruminants, hippopotamuses and pigs. Our data provide evidence that whales, ruminants and hippopotamuses form a monophyletic group.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/41759

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