CXCR4 Homologues of Gibbon Ape,African Green Monkey,Squirrel Monkey,and Cotton-top Marmoset

CXCR4 gene homologues were isolated from an ape (gibbon), an Old World monkey (African green monkey), and two New World monkeys (squirrel monkey and cotton-top marmoset), and their DNA sequences determined. The squirrel monkey and cotton-top marmoset CXCR4 sequences more closely resemble homologues from apes than Old World monkeys, a pattern not seen for the related chemokine receptor CCR5. The African green monkey CXCR4 gene is similar to its homologue in baboon, a pattern that has also been seen among CCR5 homologues. The gibbon CXCR4 contains the first polymorphisms recognized in ape homologues, the human and chimpanzee CXCR4 proteins being identical, and two of these three differences are also observed in one or more Old World monkey homologues. While 18 positions within CXCR4 are now known to be polymorphic in primates, 7 of these polymorphisms have been observed in multiple examples and 11 have been observed only once.