The research, coordinated by scientists from the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC – Higher Council for Scientific Research), has concluded with the sequencing of the genome of the Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ), one of the most endangered felines . One of the main deductions of the study has been the evidence of an “extreme erosion” in the DNA of this carnivorous mammal endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
Milestone to take into account: it is the first reference genome of a mammal that is generated entirely in Spain.
Scientists, from areas as diverse as bioinformatics, genomics, oncology or evolution, have managed to read and order 2.4 billion letters of the DNA of Candiles, a male born in the town of Sierra Morena who is currently part of the program of captive breeding. The research has ended with the identification of 21,257 genes and they have been compared with those of the cat, tiger, cheetah or dog.
Experts have discovered traces of modifications in genes related to hearing, sight and smell to facilitate the adaptation of the lynx to its environment, an ability that would have allowed it to establish itself as the great rabbit hunter that it is. In addition , the genomes of another ten Iberian lynxes from Doñana and Sierra Morena and a comparative analysis with a European lynx were analyzed to establish relationships between the two lynxes that inhabit Eurasia.
Thanks to the sequencing of the genome, the existence of an abundance of potentially harmful genetic variants has been confirmed, which would be responsible for the reduction of the survival and reproduction rates of this particular species. Genetic deterioration is more than palpable in the Doñana population, which has half the genetic diversity of the Sierra Morena lynxes.
This milestone will contribute, among other things, to optimizing the management of the genetic preservation of the Iberian lynx.
The study has been published in the journal Genome Biology,
