Publications

a 3d quantitative comparison of trapezium and trapezoid relative articular and nonarticular surface areas in modern humans and great apes.	the structure and functions of the modern human hand are critical components of what distinguishes homo sapiens from the great apes (gorilla, pan, and pongo). in this study, attention is focused on the trapezium and trapezoid, the two most lateral bones of the distal carpal row, in the four extant hominid genera, representing the first time they have been quantified and analyzed together as a morphological-functional complex. our objective is to quantify the relative articular and nonarticular s ...	2005	16085278
neural connectivity and cortical substrates of cognition in hominoids.	cognitive functions and information processing recruit discrete neural systems in the cortex and white matter. we tested the idea that specific regions in the cerebrum are differentially enlarged in humans and that some of the neural reorganizational events that took place during hominoid evolution were species-specific and independent of changes in absolute brain size. we used magnetic resonance images of the living brains of 10 human and 17 ape subjects to obtain volumetric estimates of region ...	2005	16076478
progressive proximal expansion of the primate x chromosome centromere.	previous studies of the pericentromeric region of the human x chromosome short arm (xp) revealed an age gradient from ancient dna that contains expressed genes to recent human-specific dna at the functional centromere. we analyzed the finished sequence of this human genomic region to investigate its evolutionary history. phylogenetic analysis of >1,500 alpha-satellite monomers from the region revealed the presence of five physical domains, each containing monomers from a distinct phylogenetic cl ...	2005	16030148
comparison of arthritis characteristics in lowland gorilla gorilla and mountain gorilla beringei.	gorilla gorilla and the less-studied g. beringei occupy very different, geographically separate habitats. we studied the occurrence of various forms of arthritis to examine possible nature/nurture causality. the macerated skeletons of 38 g. beringei and 99 g. gorilla individuals were examined macroscopically for the presence of articular and osseous pathologies. contrasting with only isolated osteoarthritis and infectious arthritis was the frequent occurrence of a form of erosive arthritis assoc ...	2005	16015662
identification of dna of human origin based on amplification of human-specific mitochondrial cytochrome b region.	species-specific differences in a non-polymorphic region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene appear to be large enough to allow human-specific amplification of forensic dna samples. we therefore developed a pcr-based method using newly designed primers to amplify a 157-bp portion of the human mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. the forward and reverse primers were designed to hybridize to regions of the human mitochondrial cytochrome b gene with sequences differing from those of chimpanzee by 26 ...	2005	15978336
punctuated duplication seeding events during the evolution of human chromosome 2p11.	primate genomic sequence comparisons are becoming increasingly useful for elucidating the evolutionary history and organization of our own genome. such studies are particularly informative within human pericentromeric regions--areas of particularly rapid change in genomic structure. here, we present a systematic analysis of the evolutionary history of one approximately 700-kb region of 2p11, including the first autosomal transition from pericentromeric sequence to higher-order alpha-satellite dn ...	2005	15965031
mountain gorilla tug-of-war: silverbacks have limited control over reproduction in multimale groups.	to determine who fathers the offspring in wild mountain gorilla groups containing more than one adult male silverback, we genotyped nearly one-fourth (n = 92) of the mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) living in the virunga volcanoes region of africa. paternity analysis of 48 offspring born into four groups between 1985 and 1999 revealed that, although all infants were sired by within-group males, the socially dominant silverback did not always monopolize reproduction within his group. ...	2005	15964984
the art and design of genetic screens: mouse.	humans are mammals, not bacteria or plants, yeast or nematodes, insects or fish. mice are also mammals, but unlike gorilla and goat, fox and ferret, giraffe and jackal, they are suited perfectly to the laboratory environment and genetic experimentation. in this review, we will summarize the tools, tricks and techniques for executing forward genetic screens in the mouse and argue that this approach is now accessible to most biologists, rather than being the sole domain of large national facilitie ...	2005	15951745
a comparative analysis of temporomandibular joint morphology in the african apes.	a number of researchers have suggested a functional relationship between dietary variation and temporomandibular joint (tmj) morphology, yet few studies have evaluated tmj form in the african apes. in this study, i compare tmj morphology in adults and during ontogeny in gorilla (g.g. beringei, g.g. graueri, and g.g. gorilla) and pan (p. paniscus, p. troglodytes troglodytes, p.t. schweinfurthii, and p.t. verus). i test two hypotheses: first, compared to all other african apes, g.g. beringei exhib ...	2005	15927660
primate spondyloarthropathy.	spondyloarthropathy is a common occurrence in old world primates, with only limited presence in new world monkeys. clearly distinguished from rheumatoid arthritis, this erosive arthritis afflicts 20% of great apes, baboons, and rhesus macaques and had been increasing in frequency. habitat-dependent infectious agent diarrhea-induced reactive arthritis is implicated on a background of genetic predisposition. a gorilla-derived therapeutic preventative approach has possible application in human clin ...	2005	15918992
growing number of drug resistant strains dominates at retroviruses conference. drug resistance is an 800-pound gorilla.	the new york city man who recently was infected with multidrug resistant hiv and progressed rapidly to aids continues to fascinate and worry hiv clinicians, researchers, and public health officials. while officials debate the wisdom of widely publicizing this case, they agree that it brings into focus the need for continued prevention messages and surveillance of new infections.	2005	15912613
use and manufacture of tools to extract food by captive gorilla gorilla gorilla: experimental approach.		2005	15900106
sexual dimorphism in the japanese cranial base: a fourier-wavelet representation.	an approach, computational shape analysis (csa), is presented here which utilizes a fourier-wavelet representation to numerically describe shape features of biological forms. two elements are involved: 1) elliptical fourier functions (effs), to provide estimates of global aspects, and 2) continuous wavelet transforms (cwts) to generate an objective estimate of localized features. effs are computed, using a set of pseudohomologous points, to create a precise analog of the boundary. this computed ...	2005	15895430
evidence for natural selection in the havcr1 gene: high degree of amino-acid variability in the mucin domain of human havcr1 protein.	the family of genes encoding t-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing proteins (tim), which are cell-surface molecules expressed in cd4(+) t helper cells, has important roles in the immune system. here, we report three unusual patterns of genetic variation in the human hepatitis a virus cellular receptor 1 gene (havcr1) that are similar to patterns observed in major histocompatibility complex loci. first, levels of polymorphism in exon 4 of havcr1 were exceptionally high in humans (nucl ...	2005	15889130
knuckle-walking anteater: a convergence test of adaptation for purported knuckle-walking features of african hominidae.	appeals to synapomorphic features of the wrist and hand in african apes, early hominins, and modern humans as evidence of knuckle-walking ancestry for the hominin lineage rely on accurate interpretations of those features as adaptations to knuckle-walking locomotion. because gorilla, pan, and homo share a relatively close common ancestor, the interpretation of such features is confounded somewhat by phylogeny. the study presented here examines the evolution of a similar locomotor regime in new w ...	2005	15861420
the hominoid proximal radius: re-interpreting locomotor behaviors in early hominins.	studies of fossil hominins are traditionally taxonomically narrow and often exclude comparisons with hylobatids. hence, results of functional analyses of postcrania, interpreted as indicating that early hominins are "african-ape-like" in their postcranial skeletons and positional behaviors, may reflect an artifact of inadequate taxonomic and morphological breadth of the comparative sample. to address this problem and better understand early hominin positional behaviors, this study included hylob ...	2005	15788187
osteocalcin protein sequences of neanderthals and modern primates.	we report here protein sequences of fossil hominids, from two neanderthals dating to approximately 75,000 years old from shanidar cave in iraq. these sequences, the oldest reported fossil primate protein sequences, are of bone osteocalcin, which was extracted and sequenced by using maldi-tof/tof mass spectrometry. through a combination of direct sequencing and peptide mass mapping, we determined that neanderthals have an osteocalcin amino acid sequence that is identical to that of modern humans. ...	2005	15753298
australopithecus anamensis: a finite-element approach to studying the functional adaptations of extinct hominins.	australopithecus anamensis is the stem species of all later hominins and exhibits the suite of characters traditionally associated with hominins, i.e., bipedal locomotion when on the ground, canine reduction, and thick-enameled teeth. the functional consequences of its thick enamel are, however, unclear. without appropriate structural reinforcement, these thick-enameled teeth may be prone to failure. this article investigates the mechanical behavior of a. anamensis enamel and represents the firs ...	2005	15747349
gorillas (gorilla gorilla) and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) encode relevant problem features in a tool-using task.	two important elements in problem solving are the abilities to encode relevant task features and to combine multiple actions to achieve the goal. the authors investigated these 2 elements in a task in which gorillas (gorilla gorilla) and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) had to use a tool to retrieve an out-of-reach reward. subjects were able to select tools of an appropriate length to reach the reward even when the position of the reward and tools were not simultaneously visible. when presented with ...	2005	15740427
catarrhine primate divergence dates estimated from complete mitochondrial genomes: concordance with fossil and nuclear dna evidence.	accurate divergence date estimates improve scenarios of primate evolutionary history and aid in interpretation of the natural history of disease-causing agents. while molecule-based estimates of divergence dates of taxa within the superfamily hominoidea (apes and humans) are common in the literature, few such estimates are available for the cercopithecoidea (old world monkeys), the sister taxon of the hominoids in the primate infraorder catarrhini. to help fill this gap, we have sequenced the en ...	2005	15737392
lineage-specific expansions of retroviral insertions within the genomes of african great apes but not humans and orangutans.	retroviral infections of the germline have the potential to episodically alter gene function and genome structure during the course of evolution. horizontal transmissions between species have been proposed, but little evidence exists for such events in the human/great ape lineage of evolution. based on analysis of finished bac chimpanzee genome sequence, we characterize a retroviral element (pan troglodytes endogenous retrovirus 1 [pterv1]) that has become integrated in the germline of african g ...	2005	15737067
cataract surgery with foldable intraocular lens implants in captive lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	two juvenile, male, captive-born lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with the same father but different mothers developed bilateral cataracts. the cataracts were surgically removed within 6 yr and 3 mo, respectively, of diagnosis, and foldable intraocular lenses were implanted. although vision was not restored in one eye with a mature, 6-yr-old cataract in gorilla a, surgical intervention on the other eye was performed before a complete cataract developed, and vision was fully restored. g ...	2004	15732594
evolution of human igh3'ec duplicated structures: both enhancers hs1,2 are polymorphic with variation of transcription factor's consensus sites.	the enhancer complex regulatory region at the 3' of the immunoglobulin heavy cluster (igh3'ec) is duplicated in apes along with four constant genes and the region is highly conserved throughout humans. both human igh3'ecs consist of three loci high sensitive (hs) to dnase i with enhancer activity. it is thus possible that the presence of structural divergences between the two igh3'ecs and of relative polymorphisms correspond to functional regulatory changes. to analyse the polymorphisms of these ...	2004	15716094
a genomic region evolving toward different gc contents in humans and chimpanzees indicates a recent and regionally limited shift in the mutation pattern.	dna sequences evolving differently in the human and chimpanzee genomes signal recent and regionally limited changes in the process of dna sequence evolution. here we present the comparison of 90 kb from the nonrecombining part of the human y chromosome to the corresponding part of the chimpanzee genome using gorilla as out-group. our results reveal a significant difference in the region-specific substitution process among the human and chimpanzee lineages. as a consequence, this region experienc ...	2005	15703238
endoparasites of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, central african republic.	a coprologic study of free-ranging western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, dzangha-ndoki national park, central african republic (2 degrees 51'34''n, 16 degrees 28'03''e) was conducted from october 1999 to november 2000. all 75 fecal samples examined were positive for endoparasites, and each contained at least two species. parasites present included two genera of amoebae, entodiniomorph ciliates, including prototapirella gorillae, troglodytella spp., and gorillophilus th ...	2004	15650099
craniofacial sexual dimorphism patterns and allometry among extant hominids.	craniofacial sexual dimorphism in primates varies in both magnitude and pattern among species. in the past two decades, there has been an increasing emphasis in exploring the correlations of these patterns with taxonomy and the variation in patterns within and among the craniofacial regions. scrutinising these relationships for hominids, we decompose the craniofacial morphology in five taxa: homo sapiens, pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla and pongo pygmaeus. 3d coordinates of 35 tra ...	2004	15646280
a geometric morphometric assessment of hominoid crania: conservative african apes and their liberal implications.	this study examined the cranial affinities of all extant hominoids using 3d geometric morphometric analysis. a least squares procrustean superimposition was used to eliminate differences due to location, orientation, and size. because of a persistent correlation between centroid size and shape variation, an allometric size adjustment was also applied to these data. phenetic affinities were then examined through a battery of multivariate statistical analyses. results of this study indicate a stro ...	2004	15646275
inter- and intra-specific variation in the ontogeny of the hominoid facial skeleton: testing assumptions of ontogenetic variability.	in this paper we use geometric morphometric techniques to test two assumptions that are commonly made about variations in facial ontogeny: closely related species, or members of the same species, will share a common early post-natal ontogeny; and closely related species, or members of the same species, will share a common ontogenetic scaling trajectory. to test these assumptions we use four species of hominines: homo sapiens, gorilla gorilla, pan troglodytes and pan paniscus. the first assumptio ...	2004	15646274
nuclear insertions help and hinder inference of the evolutionary history of gorilla mtdna.	numts are fragments of mitochondrial dna (mtdna) that have been translocated to the nucleus, where they can persist while their mitochondrial counterparts continue to rapidly evolve. thus, numts represent 'molecular fossils' useful for comparison with mitochondrial variation, and are particularly suited for studies of the fast-evolving hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial control region (hv1). here we used information from numts found in western gorillas (gorilla gorilla) and eastern goril ...	2005	15643961
species and sex identification of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla), eastern lowland gorillas (gorilla beringei graueri) and humans.	methods for the identification of the sex and species of individuals from samples non-invasively taken from humans and gorillas were established. amplification of a segment of amelogenin (amg), which is an x-y homologous gene, using two pairs of primers from human amg, revealed both x- and y-specific bands. the possibility of sex identification was examined by typing the amg gene using hair and fecal samples from captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) in japan and hair sample ...	2005	15635453
a universal primer set for pcr amplification of nuclear histone h4 genes from all animal species.	to control the quality of genomic dna of samples from a wide variety of animals, a heminested pcr assay specifically targeting a nuclear gene has been developed. the histone h4 gene family comprises a small number of genes considered among the most conserved genes in living organisms. tissue samples from necropsies and from cells belonging to 43 different species were studied, eight samples from invertebrates and 35 samples from vertebrates covering all classes. ancient dna samples from three si ...	2004	15601889
fast adaptive coevolution of nuclear and mitochondrial subunits of atp synthetase in orangutan.	nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have to work in concert to generate a functional oxidative phosphorylation (oxphos) system. we have previously shown that we could restore partial oxphos function when chimpanzee or gorilla mitochondrial dna (mtdna) were introduced into human cells lacking mtdna. however, we were unable to maintain orangutan mitochondrial dna in a human cell. we have now produced chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and baboon cells lacking mtdna and attempted to introduce mtdna from ...	2004	15574809
barking up the wrong ape--australopiths and the quest for chimpanzee characters in hominid fossils.	with the shift during the 1980s from a human-great ape ultimately to an orangutan-(gorilla-(human-chimp)) theory of relatedness, the search for chimpanzee-like features in early hominids intensified. reconstructions of early hominids became caricatures of chimpanzees, not only in soft tissue features (e.g. the nasal region), but in supposed bony structures (e.g. an anteriorly and especially superiorly protruding a supraorbital torus with a distinct posttoral sulcus behind). in spite of rampant > ...	2004	15571084
comparative mapping of human claudin-1 (cldn1) in great apes.	the gene encoding claudin-1 (cldn1) has been mapped to human chromosome 3 (hsa3; 3q28-->q29) using a radiation hybrid panel. employing fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) we here show that a human p1-derived artificial chromosome (pac) containing cldn1 detects the orthologous sites in chromosomes of the great apes, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan. furthermore, the chromosomal position of cldn1 was determined in mouse chromosomes by fish. the position of fluorescent signals is confined t ...	2005	15545735
panels of somatic cell hybrids specific for chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and baboon.	the generation of panels of somatic cell hybrids specific for chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and olive baboon is reported. the chromosome content of each hybrid clone was characterized using reverse painting on human normal metaphases and by the use of appropriate sequence tag sites (stss), one for each chromosome arm. these resources can be advantageously exploited in the characterization of chromosome architecture of different primate species, with special reference to the discrimination of i ...	2005	15545734
new insights into the evolution of chromosome 1.	a complex low-repetitive human dna probe (bac rp11-35b4) together with two microdissection-derived region-specific probes of the multicolor banding (mcb) probe-set for chromosome 1 were used to re-analyze the evolution of human chromosome 1 in comparison to four ape species. bac rp11-35b4 derives from 1q21 and contains 143 kb of non-repetitive dna; however, it produces three specific fish signals in 1q21, 1p12 and 1p36.1 of homo sapiens (hsa). human chromosome 1 was studied in comparison to its ...	2005	15545733
the evolution of the azoospermia factor region azfa in higher primates.	clones of a pac contig encompassing the human azfa region in yq11.21 were comparatively fish mapped to great ape y chromosomes. while the orthologous azfa locus in the chimpanzee, the bonobo and the gorilla maps to the long arm of their y chromosomes in yq12.1-->q12.2, yq13.1-->q13.2 and yq11.2, respectively, it is found on the short arm of the orang-utan subspecies of borneo and sumatra, in yp12.3 and yp13.2, respectively. regarding the order of pac clones and genes within the azfa region, no d ...	2005	15545732
evolutionary breakpoint analysis on y chromosomes of higher primates provides insight into human y evolution.	comparative fish mapping of pac clones covering almost 3 mb of the human azfa region in yq11.21 to metaphases of human and great apes unravels breakpoints that were involved in species-specific y chromosome evolution. an astonishing clustering of evolutionary breakpoints was detected in the very proximal region on the long arm of the human y chromosome in yq11.21. these breakpoints were involved in deletions, one specific for the human and another for the orang-utan y chromosome, in a duplicativ ...	2005	15545731
breakpoint analysis of the pericentric inversion between chimpanzee chromosome 10 and the homologous chromosome 12 in humans.	during this study, we analysed the pericentric inversion that distinguishes human chromosome 12 (hsa12) from the homologous chimpanzee chromosome (ptr10). two large chimpanzee-specific duplications of 86 and 23 kb were observed in the breakpoint regions, which most probably occurred associated with the inversion. the inversion break in ptr10p caused the disruption of the slco1b3 gene in exon 11. however, the 86-kb duplication includes the functional slco1b3 locus, which is thus retained in the c ...	2005	15545720
nucleotide sequence comparison of a chromosome rearrangement on human chromosome 12 and the corresponding ape chromosomes.	chromosome rearrangement has been considered to be important in the evolutionary process. here, we demonstrate the evolutionary relationship of the rearranged human chromosome 12 and the corresponding chromosome xii in apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, and gibbon) by examining pcr products derived from the breakpoints of inversions and by conducting shotgun sequencing of a gorilla fosmid clone containing the breakpoint and a "duplicated segment" (duplicon). we confirmed that a pair o ...	2005	15545719
retrocyclins: using past as prologue.	retrocyclins are synthetic theta-defensins that were reconstructed from genetic blueprints that had remained unused for at least 7.5 million years. from phylogenetic studies, it appears that theta-defensins arose in old world monkeys, after that lineage had separated from the prosimians and new world monkeys. although some nonhuman primates continue to produce theta-defensin peptides today, homo sapiens and his gorilla, bonobo, and chimpanzee relatives do not. their inability to do so reflects t ...	2004	15544532
serial segmental duplications during primate evolution result in complex human genome architecture.	the human genome is particularly rich in low-copy repeats (lcrs) or segmental duplications (5%-10%), and this characteristic likely distinguishes us from lower mammals such as rodents. how and why the complex human genome architecture consisting of multiple lcrs has evolved remains an open question. using molecular and computational analyses of human and primate genomic regions, we analyzed the structure and evolution of lcrs that resulted in complex architectural features of the human genome in ...	2004	15520286
common aspects of human and primate seronegative arthritis.	a 27-year-old female lowland gorilla developed an asymmetric oligoarthritis 3 months post-partum. there was no evidence of an antecedent gastrointestinal or genitourinary infection. serum was negative for rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibody. synovial fluid revealed 2000 white blood cells with negative cultures and polarized microscopy. studies on synoviocytes were the following: (1) facs analysis revealed surface expression of a b27-like epitope of the cells. (2) analysis of intracellular ...	2004	15517649
a case study of primiparous maternal and infant gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) behavior.	a primiparous mother and her infant were subjects of a longitudinal behavioral study at lincoln park zoo in chicago, illinois. from november 1998 to november 1999, we collected a total of 100 hr of focal nonhuman animal instantaneous point sampling and all occurrence data on the mother and her infant. after 8 months, we introduced the 4-member focal group to an 8-member gorilla group, thus providing an opportunity to study the effect of the introduction on mother-infant behavior. overall, time t ...	2004	15498722
major histocompatibility complex and microsatellite variation in two populations of wild gorillas.	in comparison to their close relatives the chimpanzees and humans, very little is known concerning the amount and structure of genetic variation in gorillas. two species of gorillas are recognized and while the western gorillas number in the tens of thousands, only several hundred representatives of the mountain gorilla subspecies of eastern gorillas survive. to analyse the possible effects of these different population sizes, this study compares the variation observed at microsatellite and majo ...	2004	15487998
natural simian foamy virus infection in wild-caught gorillas, mandrills and drills from cameroon and gabon.	a survey for the presence of simian foamy retroviruses (sfvs) was performed in 44 wild-caught apes and monkeys, including 27 gorillas, 11 mandrills and six drills, originating from south cameroon or gabon. combined serological and/or nested-pcr assays indicated sfv infection among five gorilla gorilla gorilla, seven mandrillus sphinx and two mandrillus leucophaeus. sequences of a 425 bp fragment of the integrase gene were obtained for 11 animals. phylogenetic studies indicated that strains from ...	2004	15483245
tau gene (mapt) sequence variation among primates.	filamentous tau deposits are a defining feature of a number of human neurodegenerative diseases. apes and monkeys have been reported to be differentially susceptible to developing tau pathology. despite this, only little is known about the organisation and sequence of tau from nonhuman primates. here we have sequenced tau exons 1-13, including flanking intronic regions, and the region in intron 9 that contains saitohin in chimpanzees, gorillas, and gibbons. partial sequences were obtained for cy ...	2004	15474313
occupational health and gorilla conservation in rwanda.	the design and implementation of an employee health program for people who work with mountain gorillas in rwanda is described. this program aims to improve worker health and to reduce human-to-gorilla transmission of infectious disease. the program covered approximately 111 workers, generally healthy men and women 25-45 years old, including essentially all people in rwanda who have regular contact with gorillas. initial assessment included a questionnaire, medical examination, and local tests. u ...	2004	15473088
social structure and life-history patterns in western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	life-history traits and ecological conditions have an important influence on primate social systems. most of what we know about the life-history patterns and social structure of gorillas comes from studies of eastern gorillas (gorilla beringei sp.), which live under dramatically different ecological conditions compared to western gorillas (gorilla gorilla sp.). in this paper we present new data on western gorilla social structure and life histories from four study sites, and make comparisons wit ...	2004	15470749
effects of group dynamics and diet on the ranging patterns of a western gorilla group (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, central african republic.	this study describes how group dynamics and diet have influenced the ranging patterns of a western gorilla group at bai hokou, central african republic. the results are compared with those from an earlier study [cipolletta, international journal of primatology, 2003], when the same group was larger and undergoing the process of habituation to humans. data were obtained from maps of the gorillas' travel routes, direct observations, and analysis of fecal samples. through the years, the group has e ...	2004	15470747
genetic variation in gorillas.	this review summarizes what is currently known concerning genetic variation in gorillas, on both inter- and intraspecific levels. compared to the human species, gorillas, along with the other great apes, possess greater genetic variation as a consequence of a demographic history of rather constant population size. data and hence conclusions from analysis of mitochondrial dna (mtdna), the usual means of describing intraspecific patterns of genetic diversity, are limited at this time. an important ...	2004	15470746
behavioral ecology of western gorillas: new insights from the field.	the papers in this issue are from a conference held in may 2002 at the max planck institute for evolutionary anthropology in leipzig, germany. this conference brought together researchers from all current western gorilla sites for the first time with the aim of synthesizing the most current information available on western gorilla behavioral ecology. our goal was to assess the degree of behavioral diversity in gorillas in light of our current understanding of social evolution. the articles inclu ...	2004	15470745
within-group social relationships among females and adult males in wild western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	within-group female relationships, and relationships between females and adult males have not been described for wild western lowland gorillas. new data are presented here from mbeli bai in the nouabale-ndoki national park, republic of congo. nine groups were observed over a continuous 2-year period, and affiliative and agonistic interactions, as well as time spent by females and adult males in proximity to each other were recorded. affiliative behavior was extremely rare in the bai, and measure ...	2004	15470744
impact of ecological and social factors on ranging in western gorillas.	we examined the influence of ecological (diet, swamp use, and rainfall) and social (intergroup interaction rate) factors on ranging behavior in one group of western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) during a 16-month study. relative to mountain gorillas, western gorillas live in habitats with reduced herb densities, more readily available fruit (from seasonal and rare fruit trees), and, at some sites, localized large open clearings (swamps and "bais"). ranging behavior reflects these ecological ...	2004	15470743
western gorilla diet: a synthesis from six sites.	the objective of this paper is to collate information on western gorilla diet from six study sites throughout much of their current range, including preliminary information from two sites (afi and lossi), where studies of diet have begun only recently. food lists were available from each site, derived from indirect signs of gorilla feeding (such as feces), with some observational data. important staple, seasonal, and fallback foods have been identified, and a number of striking similarities acro ...	2004	15470742
home-range use and intergroup encounters in western gorillas (gorilla g. gorilla) at lossi forest, north congo.	i present data on home-range use and types of intergroup encounters for one group (apollo) of western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) from a new study site in the republic of congo. the total home-range size of the focal group, which i calculated by superimposing a 100 m x 100 m grid over the mapped daily path traveled, was 11 km2. the majority (73%) of the group's home range was used exclusively, although at the periphery it overlapped with the ranges of three other groups. most encounters ( ...	2004	15470740
inverted repeat structure of the human genome: the x-chromosome contains a preponderance of large, highly homologous inverted repeats that contain testes genes.	we have performed the first genome-wide analysis of the inverted repeat (ir) structure in the human genome, using a novel and efficient software package called inverted repeats finder (irf). after masking of known repetitive elements, irf detected 22,624 human irs characterized by arm size from 25 bp to >100 kb with at least 75% identity, and spacer length up to 100 kb. this analysis required 6 h on a desktop pc. in all, 166 irs had arm lengths >8 kb. from this set, irs were excluded if they wer ...	2004	15466286
[comparative anatomy of the spleen, liver, intestinal tract, and kidneys of the gorilla].		1950	15432941
[studies in comparative anatomy; aorta of the gorilla].		1950	15432939
patterns of tooth crown size and shape variation in great apes and humans and species recognition in the hominid fossil record.	it has been suggested that patterns of craniodental variation in living hominids (gorilla, homo, pan, and pongo) may be useful for evaluating variation in fossil hominid assemblages. using this approach, a fossil sample exhibiting a pattern of variation that deviates from one shared among living taxa would be regarded as taxonomically heterogeneous. here we examine patterns of tooth crown size and shape variation in great apes and humans to determine 1) if these taxa share a pattern of dental va ...	2004	15386248
3d-kinematics of vertical climbing in hominoids.	vertical climbing has played an important role in theories about the evolution of habitual bipedalism in early hominids and of locomotor specialization in hominoids. however, empirical data on vertical climbing in nonhuman primates are scarce, especially regarding kinematics. in this paper, the kinematics of flexed-elbow vertical climbing of four hominoid species are reported: western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla), bonobos (pan paniscus), sumatran orangutans (pongo pygmaeus abelii), ...	2005	15386239
development of y-chromosomal microsatellite markers for nonhuman primates.	we have analysed 136 newly identified human y-chromosomal microsatellites in five (sub)species of nonhuman primates. we identified 83 male-specific loci for central chimpanzees, 82 for western chimpanzees, 67 for gorillas, 45 for orangutans and 19 loci for mandrills. polymorphism was detected at 56 loci in central chimpanzees, 29 in western chimpanzees, 24 in western gorillas, 17 in orangutans and at three in mandrills. success in male-specific amplification of human y-chromosomal microsatellite ...	2004	15367109
a new method for abo genotyping using a multiplex single-base primer extension reaction and its application to forensic casework samples.	we developed a new method for abo genotyping using a multiplex single-base primer extension reaction. the method allows for the simultaneous detection of six snp sites in the abo gene (nt 261, 297, 681, 703, 802, and 803) and the determination of abo genotypes from their combinations. it enabled abo genotyping of all samples of peripheral blood dna extracted from 103 japanese individuals, and had a highly satisfactory detection sensitivity being capable of genotyping 0.1 ng of genomic dna. using ...	2004	15363446
structure of primate and rodent orthologs of the prostate cancer susceptibility gene elac2.	the human elac2 gene was the first candidate prostate cancer susceptibility gene identified by linkage analysis and positional cloning. dna sequence indicates a protein of 826 amino acids encoded by 24 exons. in the present study, we characterized the coding sequence of chimpanzee and gorilla elac2 orthologs by direct sequencing of genomic fragments, and of cynomolgus monkey and rat orthologs by screening cdna libraries. the orthologs characterized in the chimpanzee, gorilla and cynomolgus monke ...	2004	15358515
positive selection in maoa gene is human exclusive: determination of the putative amino acid change selected in the human lineage.	monoamine oxidase a (maoa) is the x-linked gene responsible for deamination and subsequent degradation of several neurotransmitters and other amines. among other activities, the gene has been shown to play a role in locomotion, circadian rhythm, and pain sensitivity and to have a critical influence on behavior and cognition. previous studies have reported a non-neutral evolution of the gene attributable to positive selection in the human lineage. to determine whether this selection was human-exc ...	2004	15349769
intestinal parasites and bacteria of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	a survey in 1994 examined intestinal helminths and bacterial flora of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda. parasites and bacteria were identified to genus in the feces of two groups of tourist-habituated and one group of non-tourist-habituated mountain gorillas. eggs were identified as those of an anoplocephalid cestode, and nematode eggs representative of the genera: trichuris, ascaris, oesophagostomum, strongyloides, and trichostrongylus. ...	2005	15338419
functional structure of the skull in hominoidea.	finite elements stress analysis (fesa) was used to investigate the flow of compressive forces which occur if a homogenous, three-dimensional body representing the skull is loaded by simulated bite forces against the tooth row. model 1 represents the snout alone. bite forces are applied simultaneously, but increase rearward. stresses in the model concentrate along the anterior contour and the lower surface of the model, leaving unstressed a nasal opening and a wide naso-oral connection. model 2 r ...	2004	15316152
clinical effects and plasma concentrations of fentanyl after transmucosal administration in three species of great ape.	fentanyl is approved for transmucosal use in the united states as a preanesthetic agent in human pediatric patients and in adults for breakthrough cancer pain. using this formulation in three species of great ape, including eight orangutans (pongo pygmaeus), nine chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), and two gorillas (gorilla gorilla), fentanyl was offered transmucosally at an intended dose of 10-15 microg/kg based on estimated body weight. the animals were trained to accept and suck slowly on a piece ...	2004	15305510
simulation of the population dynamics and social structure of the virunga mountain gorillas.	an agent-based model was developed to simulate the growth rate, age structure, and social system of the endangered mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in the virunga volcanoes region. the model was used to compare two types of data: 1) estimates of the overall population size, age structure, and social structure, as measured by six censuses of the entire region that were conducted in 1971-2000; and 2) information about birth rates, mortality rates, dispersal patterns, and other life hi ...	2004	15300709
testicular histological examination of spermatogenetic activity in captive gorillas (gorilla gorilla).	to clarify the reproductive state of male gorillas, we performed histological examinations on the testicles of 10 male gorillas (gorilla gorilla). the testicular samples were obtained by autopsy, and ordinal histological preparations were made for light microscopy. the poor spermatogenesis of this species was characterized by the following findings: first, spermatogenesis was evident in only four samples. meiosis progressed in two samples, but they lacked spermatogenesis. in the remaining four s ...	2004	15300708
bony ponticles of the atlas (c1) over the groove for the vertebral artery in humans and primates: polymorphism and evolutionary trends.	the aim of this study was to ascertain the distribution in primates of the three possible bony ponticles over the groove for the vertebral artery (ventral, lateral, and dorsal ponticles), in order to attempt to understand the variants observed in humans and to ascertain possible evolutionary trends in primates. the material consisted of 393 atlases of extant nonhuman primates representative of 41 genera, and of 500 human atlases (dried bones of adults). for each atlas, we studied the existence a ...	2004	15293328
brain structure variation in great apes, with attention to the mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei).	this report presents data regarding the brain structure of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in comparison with other great apes. magnetic resonance (mr) images of three mountain gorilla brains were obtained with a 3t scanner, and the volume of major neuroanatomical structures (neocortical gray matter, hippocampus, thalamus, striatum, and cerebellum) was measured. these data were included with our existing database that includes 23 chimpanzees, three western lowland gorillas, and six ...	2004	15258959
nuclear integrations of mitochondrial dna in gorillas.	great ape systematics, particularly at the species level and below, is currently under debate, due in part to the recent influx of molecular data. the phylogenies of previously published mitochondrial control region (or d-loop) dna sequences in gorillas show deep splits within west african gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla), and very high levels of nucleotide diversity in this subspecies. here we demonstrate that several previously reported d-loop haplotypes from west african gorillas are in all ...	2004	15258958
population and group structure of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at lokoué, republic of congo.	during a 17-month study at the lokoué clearing in odzala national park, republic of congo, we identified 377 western lowland gorillas. this population included 31 solitary males, 37 breeding groups, and eight nonbreeding groups. its age- and sex-class structure was similar to those observed at two other clearings in the same forest block. however, the size of breeding groups varied with site (either clearing or forest sites). at lokoué, breeding groups (mean size: 8.2 gorillas; range: 3-15) incl ...	2004	15258956
evidence of selection on the domesticated ervwe1 env retroviral element involved in placentation.	the human endogenous retrovirus herv-w multicopy family includes a unique proviral locus, termed ervwe1, which contains gag and pol pseudogenes and has retained a full-length envelope open reading frame (orf). this env protein (syncytin) is a highly fusogenic membrane glycoprotein and has been proposed to be involved in hominoid placental physiology. to track the hallmarks of natural selection acting on the ervwe1 env gene, the pattern of substitutions and indels was analyzed within all human he ...	2004	15254254
functional anatomy of the olecranon process in hominoids and plio-pleistocene hominins.	this study examines the functional morphology of the olecranon process in hominoids and fossil hominins. the length of the bony lever of the triceps brachii muscle (tbm) is measured as the distance between the trochlear articular center and the most distant insertion site of the tbm, and olecranon orientation is measured as the angle that this bony lever makes with the long axis of the ulna. results show that homo, pan, gorilla, most monkeys, and the australopithecus fossils studied have similar ...	2004	15252859
inferences about the location of food in the great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, and pongo pygmaeus).	bonobos (pan paniscus; n = 4), chimpanzees (pan troglodytes; n = 12), gorillas (gorilla gorilla; n = 8), and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus; n = 6) were presented with 2 cups (1 baited) and given visual or auditory information about their contents. visual information consisted of letting subjects look inside the cups. auditory information consisted of shaking the cup so that the baited cup produced a rattling sound. subjects correctly selected the baited cup both when they saw or heard the food. nin ...	2004	15250810
intrapopulation differences in ant eating in the mountain gorillas of bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	variability in ant eating has been observed in several populations of eastern and western gorillas. we investigated the occurrence of ant (dorylus sp.) eating in two groups of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) with overlapping home ranges within bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda from september 2001 to august 2002. we calculated the frequency of ant eating by an indirect method of analyzing fecal samples from silverbacks, adult females, and juveniles. one group consumed ants s ...	2004	15248086
population genetic and phylogenetic evidence for positive selection on regulatory mutations at the factor vii locus in humans.	the abundance of cis-regulatory polymorphisms in humans suggests that many may have been important in human evolution, but evidence for their role is relatively rare. four common polymorphisms in the 5' promoter region of factor vii (f7), a coagulation factor, have been shown to affect its transcription and protein abundance both in vitro and in vivo. three of these polymorphisms have low-frequency alleles that decrease expression of f7 and may provide protection against myocardial infarction (h ...	2004	15238535
interlaminar astroglial processes in the cerebral cortex of great apes.	the present study was designed to document the architecture of neocortical astroglia in great apes, following glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry. these anthropoid species were missing from previous phylogenetic descriptions of astroglia with interlaminar processes, a characteristic event of the cerebral cortex within the primate order. pongo pygmaeus (orangutan), gorilla gorilla (gorilla) and pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) brain samples showed the typical "palisade" of interlamin ...	2004	15221474
identification of two pseudogenes with sequence homology to human and gorilla mhc class ia genes: ancestral haplotype in the filipino population.	while characterizing exons 2 and 3 of the class i human leukocyte antigen (hla)-a locus in human lymphocytes, two similar but unexpected pcr products were detected in six samples of filipino ethnicity. a nucleotide sequence analysis of the two amplicons, tentatively named hla-coq and hla-del, rendered them as two novel and seemingly related sequences, both with homology to the gorilla and human major histocompatibility complex (mhc) a locus. exon 2 is similar to the published human pseudogenes h ...	2004	15219387
the evolutionary conservation of the human chitotriosidase gene in rodents and primates.	chitinases have been identified in a variety of organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, known to specifically degrade chitin, an abundant polymer of n-acetylglucosamine. recently a human chitinolytic enzyme called chit1 was discovered. chit1 is expressed by activated macrophages and hydrolyzes artificial chitotrioside substrates, but its specific function in humans is unknown, since it is generally believed that man completely lacks endogenous chitin and endogenous substrates for chiti ...	2004	15218258
degeneration of an atp-binding cassette transporter gene, abcc13, in different mammalian lineages.	the abc transporter gene family has evolved by a gene "birth-and-death" process; however, the number of abc pseudogenes in the human genome is surprisingly small. on chromosome 21q11.2, spanning 90 kb, is an abc gene-like sequence (recently annotated as abcc13) with the highest similarity to abcc2. here we show that while comparative analysis and in silico prediction methods indicate the presence of at least 28 exons, the major abcc13 transcript in humans consists of only 6 exons with a total le ...	2004	15203202
fossils, feet and the evolution of human bipedal locomotion.	we review the evolution of human bipedal locomotion with a particular emphasis on the evolution of the foot. we begin in the early twentieth century and focus particularly on hypotheses of an ape-like ancestor for humans and human bipedal locomotion put forward by a succession of gregory, keith, morton and schultz. we give consideration to morton's (1935) synthesis of foot evolution, in which he argues that the foot of the common ancestor of modern humans and the african apes would be intermedia ...	2004	15198703
perceptual simulation in property verification.	if people represent concepts with perceptual simulations, two predictions follow in the property verification task (e.g., is face a property of gorilla?). first, perceptual variables such as property size should predict the performance of neutral subjects, because these variables determine the ease of processing properties in perceptual simulations (i.e., perceptual effort). second, uninstructed neutral subjects should spontaneously construct simulations to verify properties and therefore perfor ...	2004	15190717
the deciduous lower dentition of ouranopithecus macedoniensis (primates, hominoidea) from the late miocene deposits of macedonia, greece.	two mandibular fragments with associated milk teeth assigned to the late miocene hominoid primate ouranopithecus macedoniensis are analyzed. the fossils, which belong to a single individual, were found in the vallesian locality of "ravin de la pluie" of the axios valley (macedonia, greece). the material is described here and compared with extant and extinct hominoids, allowing assessment of the evolutionary trends in the deciduous lower dentition within the hominoidea. hylobatids represent the m ...	2004	15183671
comparison of cranial ontogenetic trajectories among great apes and humans.	molecular data suggest that humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than either is to the gorillas, yet one finds the closest similarity in craniofacial morphology to be among the great apes to the exclusion of humans. to clarify how and when these differences arise in ontogeny, we studied ontogenetic trajectories for homo sapiens, pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla and pongo pygmaeus. a total of 96 traditional three-dimensional landmarks and semilandmarks on the face and cran ...	2004	15183670
parasitic health of olive baboons in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	this study examined the endoparasite load of a group of olive baboons (papio cynocephalus anubis) that share their habitat with a population of mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla berengei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda. during a 2-week period in june 2002, shared habitat was substantiated by noting the ranging patterns of both species and recording observations and trail remains with a global positioning system (gps). parasite load was determined by collecting fecal samples preser ...	2004	15177721
beware of canine gorilla glue ingestions.	household adhesive ingestions are considered relatively non-toxic. gorilla glue is a household glue containing a urethane polymer and a polymeric isocyanate liquid compound available in container sizes of 2 to 36 oz, and when applied will expand to 3-4 times its original volume. we report the ingestion of gorilla glue by 2 dogs that caused obstructive masses requiring surgical intervention. dogs with a history of gorilla glue ingestion should be monitored closely by their owners and a veterinary ...	2004	15171495
ontogenetic allometry, heterochrony, and interspecific differences in the skull of african apes, using tridimensional procrustes analysis.	ontogenetic studies of african ape skulls lead to an analysis of morphological differences in terms of allometry, heterochrony, and sexual dimorphism. the use of geometric morphometrics allows us 1) to define size and shape variations as independent factors (an essential but seldom respected condition for heterochrony), and 2) to calculate in percentage of shape changes and to graphically represent the parts of shape variation which are related to various biological phenomena: common allometry, ...	2004	15160366
mitochondrial dna phylogeography of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	the geographical distribution of genetic variation within western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was examined to clarify the population genetic structure and recent evolutionary history of this group. dna was amplified from shed hair collected from sites across the range of the three traditionally recognized gorilla subspecies: western lowland (g. g. gorilla), eastern lowland (g. g. graueri) and mountain (g. g. beringei) gorillas. nucleotide sequence variation was examined in the fir ...	2004	15140097
reversal of neurologic deficit in an adult gorilla with severe symptomatic lumbar stenosis.	a case report is presented.	2004	15129090
testing the chromosomal speciation hypothesis for humans and chimpanzees.	fixed differences of chromosomal rearrangements between isolated populations may promote speciation by preventing between-population gene flow upon secondary contact, either because hybrids suffer from lowered fitness or, more likely, because recombination is reduced in rearranged chromosomal regions. this chromosomal speciation hypothesis thus predicts more rapid genetic divergence on rearranged than on colinear chromosomes because the former are less porous to gene flow. a number of studies of ...	2004	15123584
dental topography and diets of australopithecus afarensis and early homo.	diet is key to understanding the paleoecology of early hominins. we know little about the diets of these fossil taxa, however, in part because of a limited fossil record, and in part because of limitations in methods available to infer their feeding adaptations. this paper applies a new method, dental topographic analysis, to the inference of diet from fossil hominin teeth. this approach uses laser scanning to generate digital 3d models of teeth and geographic information systems software to mea ...	2004	15120268
fracture toughness of mountain gorilla (gorilla gorilla beringei) food plants.	mountain gorillas, the largest extant primates, subsist almost entirely on plant matter. moreover, their diet includes a substantial amount of structural material, such as bark and stems, which other primates tend to avoid. accordingly, the robust masticatory apparatus of gorillas may be adaptive to this presumably tough diet; however, quantitative information on this subject is lacking. in this study the fracture toughness of mountain gorilla foods was examined for the first time. samples of 44 ...	2004	15085532
treatment of acute self-aggressive behaviour in a captive gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).		2004	15083975
conservation and loss of the erv3 open reading frame in primates.	the human endogenous retrovirus erv3 possesses an open reading frame for a truncated envelope, which is expressed as mrna and protein. here we examine the env sequence in primates for evidence of evolutionary conservation. erv3 sequences were amplified by pcr from genomic dna of great ape and old world primates but not from new world primates or gorilla, suggesting an integration event more than 30 million years ago with a subsequent loss in one species. in the chimpanzee, the protein sequence o ...	2004	15081124
simian t-cell leukemia virus (stlv) infection in wild primate populations in cameroon: evidence for dual stlv type 1 and type 3 infection in agile mangabeys (cercocebus agilis).	three types of human t-cell leukemia virus (htlv)-simian t-cell leukemia virus (stlv) (collectively called primate t-cell leukemia viruses [ptlvs]) have been characterized, with evidence for zoonotic origin from primates for htlv type 1 (htlv-1) and htlv-2 in africa. to assess human exposure to stlvs in western central africa, we screened for stlv infection in primates hunted in the rain forests of cameroon. blood was obtained from 524 animals representing 18 different species. all the animals w ...	2004	15078952
event memory and misinformation effects in a gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	event memory and misinformation effects were examined in an adult male gorilla ( gorilla gorilla gorilla). the gorilla witnessed a series of unique events, involving a familiar person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 1), a novel person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 2), or the presentation of a novel object (experiment 3). following a 5- to 10-min retention interval, a tester gave the gorilla three photographs mounted on wooden cards: a photograph depicting the correct person o ...	2004	15069608
orangutan herpesvirus.	a male orangutan suffered from ulcers at the buccal mucosa. we obtained swab fluid from the base of both vesicles and ulcers and collected blood for further separation into serum, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) for detection of antibody to herpesvirus by serology and herpesvirus dna by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) using consensus degenerate primers. serology was positive for human ebv igg but negative for epstein-barr virus (ebv) immunoglobulin (igm), as well as for both ...	2004	15061729