The nucleotide sequences of the parathyroid gene in primates (suborder Anthropoidea).

Nucleotide sequences of the parathyroid (PTH) gene of 12 species of primates belonging to suborder Anthropoidea were examined. The PTH gene contains one intron that separates two exons that code the sequence of prepro and PTH, respectively. The intron of the PTH gene in Cebus apella, Callithrix jacchus, and Saguinus oedipus was 102 bp long, whereas a 103-bp intron was observed in the remaining species. Phylogenetic analysis using the nucleotide sequences of PTH revealed that these 12 species of primates of suborder Anthropoidea could be divided into two groups of the infraorder Platyrrhini (C. apella, C. jacchus, and S. oedipus) and the infraorder Catarrhini (Macaca fascicularis, Macaca fuscata, Cercopithecus aethiops, Papio hamadryas, Presbytes obscura, Hylobates lar, Pongo pygmaeus, Pan troglodytes, and Pan paniscus). The latter infraorder could be further subdivided into two subgroups belonging to the superfamily Cercopithecoidea (M. fascicularis, M. fuscata, C. aethiops, P. hamadryas, and P. obscura) and the superfamily Hominoidea (H. lar, P. pygmaeus, P. troglodytes, and P. paniscus). The deduced amino acid sequences of PTH gene between 12 species of nonhuman primates and human revealed no amino acid substitution in mature PTH among orangutans, chimpanzees, and humans. The results indicated that the PTH gene is very conserved among primates, especially between great apes and humans. The apes are the most suitable animals to be used for studying the bone metabolism and applying the knowledge to clinical use in humans.