ABSTRACT
Os teiús são os maiores lagartos predadores da América do Sul, os maiores lagartos do Novo Mundo e os maiores representantes da família Teiidae; portanto, seu papel na cadeia alimentar e no equilíbrio de um ecossistema é fundamental. Todas as espécies de teiús ocorrem no território brasileiro, sendo duas delas endêmicas. Este artigo teve como objetivo caracterizar lagartos do gênero Tupinambis por meio da genética e da hematologia. Foram analisados 17 animais de cativeiro de cinco espécies de teiús, sendo oito Tupinambis merianae, quatro T. rufescens, três T. quadrilineatus, um T. teguixin e um T. duseni. No que concerne à hematologia, foram analisados hematócrito, dosagem de hemoglobina, contagem de eritrócitos, volume corpuscular médio, hemoglobina corpuscular média e concentração da hemoglobina corpuscular média. Os resultados mostraram que ocorreu diferença entre as espécies em todas as variáveis hematológicas. A partir da técnica eletroforética em acetato de celulose (tampão Borato pH 8,9), foram identificados os padrões de hemoglobina de quatro espécies de teiús (T. merianae, T. rufescens, T. quadrilineatus e T. teguixin)...
Genetics and hematology of lizards of the genus Tupinambis (Sauria:Teiidae). Tegus are the largest predator lizards in South America, the largest terrestrial lizards of the New World and the largest members of the family Teiidae; the refore its role in the food chain and inside an ecosystem balance is essential. All tegus species occur in Brazilian territory, and two of them are endemic. This work aimed to characterize animals through genetics and hematology. 17 animals of 5 tegus species were analyzed, being 8 Tupinambis merianae, 4 Tupinambis rufescens, 3 Tupinambis quadrilineatus, 1 Tupinambis teguixin and 1 Tupinambis duseni. In hematology were analyzed hematocrit, hemoglobine dosage, erythrocyte count, average body volume, average body hemoglobin and average body hemoglobin concentration. The results showed that occurs differences between the species in all of hematology variables. Throught electrophoretic techniques in cellulose acetate (Borato pH 8,9), hemoglobin patterns were identified four tegus species (T. merianae, T. rufescens, T. quadrilineatus and T. teguixin)...
Subject(s)
Animals , Genetics , Hematology , Lizards , South America , Reptiles/geneticsABSTRACT
Cytogenetic studies were performed on five closely related microteiid lizards (Gymnophthalmini), three Calyptommatus species and Psilophthalmus paeminosus from the sand dunes of the middle São Francisco river in the semiarid caatinga of the Brazilian state of Bahia and Tretioscincus oriximinensis from the Brazilian Amazon region. The diploid chromosome number in Calyptommatus species was 2n = 58 in females and 2n = 57 in males due to a multiple X1X1X2X2:X1X2Y sex chromosomes system, while P. paeminosus was 2n = 44 (20M+24m): where M = macrochromosomes and m = microchromosomes) and T. oriximinensis 2n = 42 (18M+24m). A single pair of silver staining nucleolar organizing regions (Ag-NORs) characterizes all five species. Incorporation of 5-BrdU (Bromodeoxyuridine) followed by replication R-banding (RBG) karyotyping allowed the identification of the larger pairs of chromosomes through longitudinal bands and the late replicating regions. Our data reinforce the remarkable chromosomal variability that has been found in the Gymnophthalmidae and the importance of using differential staining for comparative cytogenetics within this group of lizards. Chromosomal evolution in Gymnophthalmini seems to have included chromosomal fission and fusion, pericentric inversions and variation in the amount and localization of constitutive heterochromatin and the Ag-NOR pattern. Different mechanisms of sex determination also evolved independently in this radiation.
Subject(s)
Animals , DNA , Reptiles/genetics , Brazil , Chromosome Banding , Cytogenetics , Karyotyping , Sex ChromosomesABSTRACT
Three distinct calmodulin (CaM)-encoding cDNAs were isolated from a reptile, the Japanese tortoise (Clemmys japonica), based on degenerative primer PCR. Because of synonymous codon usages, the deduced amino acid (aa) sequences were exactly the same in all three genes and identical to the aa sequence of vertebrate CaM. The three cDNAs, referred to as CaM-A, -B, and -C, seemed to belong to the same type as CaMI, CaMII, and CaMIII, respectively, based on their sequence identity with those of the mammalian cDNAs and the glutamate codon biases. Northern blot analysis detected CaM-A and -B as bands corresponding to 1.8 kb, with the most abundant levels in the brain and testis, while CaM-C was detected most abundantly in the brain as bands of 1.4 and 2.0 kb. Our results indicate that, in the tortoise, CaM protein is encoded by at least three non-allelic genes, and that the æmultigene-one protein' principle of CaM synthesis is applicable to all classes of vertebrates, from fishes to mammals