Genetic and morphological characterizations of house mice on the Miura Peninsula, central Honshu, Japan
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On the Miura Peninsula of central Honshu, Japan, there are international ports that, it is concerned, provide opportunities for the introduction of house mice via overseas cargoes. To evaluate the occurrence of such an introduction of overseas mice, in this study, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene and the morphological characteristics of house mouse (Mus musculus) samples (n = 47) from five localities on the Miura Peninsula. All of the Cytb sequences of the present mouse samples were recognized as the musculus type corresponding to the subspecies musculus in Eurasia, which have been seen frequently in the Japanese Islands in previous studies. In addition, consistent with typical Japanese house mice, external morphology of the present mouse samples showed a shorter tail length and head and body length as compared with those of M. domesticus domesticus in Europe, M. musculus musculus in northern Europe and M. castaneus castaneus in southeastern Asia in Marshal (1998). Accordingly, in the current research area on the Miura Peninsula, it seems that there has been no influence by overseas mice, and the present mice examined are recognized as the typical Japanese house mice, considering the above Cytb properties and morphological characteristics.Keywords:
House mouse
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Peninsula
Analysis at 20 genetic loci by starch gel electrophoresis of a population from Greece shows that contrary to most accepted views, the outdoor Eastern Mediterranean Short-tailed Mouse (i) does not belong to the same species as the House Mouse (Mus musculus), (ii) is not less distant from the Eastern European semi-species of House Mouse (biochemical group 2) than from the Western and Mediterranean European semi-species (group 1), and (iii) is not more closely related to the outdoor Western Mediterranean Short-tailed Mouse Mus spretus (group 3), than to M. musculus. It represents a new biochemical group (group 4) and deserves a species rank (Mus spicilegus).
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House mice are commensal animals with a nearly global distribution, structured into well differentiated local populations. Besides genetic differences between the populations, they have also diverged behaviorally over time, whereby it remains open how fast general behavioral characteristics can change. Here we study the competitive potential of two very recently separated populations of the Western house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) by using two different approaches-one under controlled cage conditions, the other under more natural conditions in enclosures mimicking a secondary encounter condition.We observe a clear bias in the competitive ability towards one of the populations for both tests. The measured behavioral bias is also reflected in the number of hybrid offspring produced in the enclosures.Our data suggest that key behavioral characteristics with a direct influence on relative fitness can quickly change during the evolution of populations. It seems possible that the colonization situation in Western Europe, with a rapid spread of the mice after their arrival, would have favored more competitive populations at the expansion front. The study shows the possible impact of behavioral changes on the evolution of populations.
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Abstract We investigated the distributions and routes of colonization of two commensal subspecies of house mouse in Norway: Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus . Five nuclear markers ( Abpa , D11 cenB2 , Btk , SMCY and Zfy2 ) and a morphological feature (tail length) were used to differentiate the two subspecies and assess their distributions, and mitochondrial (mt) D‐loop sequences helped to elucidate their colonization history. M. m. domesticus is the more widespread of the two subspecies, occupying the western and southern coast of Norway, while M. m. musculus is found along Norway’s southeastern coast and east from there to Sweden. Two sections of the hybrid zone between the two subspecies were localized in Norway. However, hybrid forms also occur well away from that hybrid zone, the most prevalent of which are mice with a M. m. musculus ‐type Y chromosome and an otherwise M. m. domesticus genome. MtDNA D‐loop sequences of the mice revealed a complex phylogeography within M. m. domesticus , reflecting passive human transport to Norway, probably during the Viking period. M. m. musculus may have colonized earlier. If so, that leaves open the possibility that M. m. domesticus replaced M. m. musculus from much of Norway, with the widely distributed hybrids a relict of this process. Overall, the effects of hybridization are evident in house mice throughout Norway.
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Abstract For more than 100 years, house mice ( Mus musculus ) have been used as a key animal model in biomedical research. House mice are genetically diverse, yet their genetic background at the global level has not been fully understood. Previous studies suggested that they originated in South Asia and diverged into three major subspecies almost simultaneously, approximately 350,000–500,000 years ago; however, they have spread across the world with the migration of modern humans in prehistoric and historic times (∼10,000 years ago to present), and undergone secondary contact, which have complicated the genetic landscape of wild house mice. In this study, we sequenced the whole genomes of 98 wild house mice collected from Eurasia, particularly East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. We found that although wild house mice consist of three major genetic groups corresponding to the three major subspecies, individuals representing admixture between subspecies are much more ubiquitous than previously recognized. Furthermore, several samples showed an incongruent pattern of genealogies between mitochondrial and autosomal genomes. Using samples likely retaining the original genetic components of subspecies with least admixture, we estimated the pattern and timing of divergence among the subspecies. The results are important for understanding the genetic diversity of wild mice on a global level and the information will be particularly useful in future biomedical and evolutionary studies using laboratory mice established from these wild mice.
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Molecular markers and morphological characters can help infer the colonization history of organisms. A combination of mitochondrial (mt) d -loop DNA sequences, nuclear DNA data, external measurements and skull characteristics shows that house mice ( Mus musculus ) in New Zealand and its outlying islands are descended from very diverse sources. The predominant genome is Mus musculus domesticus (from western Europe), but Mus musculus musculus (from central Europe) and Mus musculus castaneus (from southern Asia) are also represented genetically. These subspecies have hybridized to produce combinations of musculus and domesticus nuclear DNA coupled with domesticus mtDNA, and castaneus or musculus mtDNA with domesticus nuclear DNA. The majority of the mice with domesticus mtDNA that we sampled had d -loop sequences identical to two haplotypes common in Britain. This is consistent with long-term British–New Zealand cultural linkages. The origins of the castaneus mtDNA sequences widespread in New Zealand are less easy to identify.
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On the Miura Peninsula of central Honshu, Japan, there are international ports that, it is concerned, provide opportunities for the introduction of house mice via overseas cargoes. To evaluate the occurrence of such an introduction of overseas mice, in this study, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene and the morphological characteristics of house mouse (Mus musculus) samples (n = 47) from five localities on the Miura Peninsula. All of the Cytb sequences of the present mouse samples were recognized as the musculus type corresponding to the subspecies musculus in Eurasia, which have been seen frequently in the Japanese Islands in previous studies. In addition, consistent with typical Japanese house mice, external morphology of the present mouse samples showed a shorter tail length and head and body length as compared with those of M. domesticus domesticus in Europe, M. musculus musculus in northern Europe and M. castaneus castaneus in southeastern Asia in Marshal (1998). Accordingly, in the current research area on the Miura Peninsula, it seems that there has been no influence by overseas mice, and the present mice examined are recognized as the typical Japanese house mice, considering the above Cytb properties and morphological characteristics.
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Peninsula
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