What do man's best friend and the giant panda bear ( Ailuropoda melanoleura ) have in common? A lot, according to a study by the Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzen (China) that has just sequenced the panda genome.
The new and complete genomic map of this animal indicates that it has 21 pairs of chromosomes and more than 20,000 genes , and that it shares key proteins with most carnivorous mammals, so its restricted diet of bamboo appears not to be dictated by DNA . Furthermore, research reveals that there is a high degree of genetic similarity between giant pandas and dogs , although it also provides evidence that the giant panda is a subspecies of Ursidae , the bear family.
"We hope that knowing the genome helps us understand why giant pandas have such a hard time reproducing ," said Wang Jun, co-author of the study published in the journal Nature in its digital edition. This species is at high risk of extinction. Experts say there are only 1,600 pandas left in the wild in China, most of them confined to small mountain habitats in the southwestern area.
