Interspecies and intraspecies variations in the serotonin transporter gene intron 3 VNTR in nonhuman primates.

A variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism based on a 16 or 17-bp unit has been reported in the third intron of the human serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT). VNTRs have been shown to affect the transcriptional activity of genes, and VNTR polymorphisms possibly influence human personality and several psychoneurological disorders. To estimate the changes that occurred in the VNTRs during primate evolution, we amplified and sequenced the regions that corresponded to the human VNTRs in various primate species, including apes, Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys.

Comparative analysis of estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms in apes.

Polymorphic microsatellite repeats in the promoter region of estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESRalpha and the intron 6 region of estrogen receptor beta gene (ESRbeta) have been reported in human populations. To examine the evolutional state of both repeats, we surveyed the corresponding regions in DNA sequences from the following great apes and gibbons: 56 chimpanzees, 3 bonobos, 16 gorillas, 20 orangutans and 60 gibbons (four species: 17 of Hylobates agilis, 11 of H. lar, 15 of H.