根据普通牛线粒体DNA序列设计引物,获得了九龙牦牛线粒体D-loop区全序列,并以羊亚科绵羊属绵羊作为外类群利用D-loop区序列对牛亚科代表性物种(牦牛、野牦牛、普通牛、瘤牛、美洲野牛、欧洲野牛和亚洲水牛)进行了系统发育分析。结果发现:牦牛线粒体DNA D-loop区序列全长893 bp,与普通牛源序列的同源性为87.4%,其中有17个碱基的缺失;在牛亚科内,牦牛、野牦牛与美洲野牛(美洲野牛属)间的序列差异百分比最小,为6.2%~6.8%,而与牛属中普通牛、瘤牛间的序列差异百分比较大,为10.0%~11.3%;系统发育分析发现:牦牛、野牦牛首先与美洲野牛聚为一类,说明牦牛、野牦牛与美洲野牛属间的遗传相似性较高、亲缘关系较近,而与牛属间的遗传相似性较低、亲缘关系较远;结合古生物学、形态学、分子生物学的证据,支持将牦牛、野牦牛划分为牛亚科中一个独立属即牦牛属的观点。
Primers designed according to the mitochondrial gene sequences of Bos taurus reported was used to amplify and sequence jiulong yak's D-loop region,and the whole sequence was obtained.Using Ovis aries as outgroup taxa,the phylogeny about the representative species of Bovinae(Poephagus grunniens,Poephagus mutus,Bos taurus,Bos indicus, Bison bison,Bison bonasus,Bubalus bubalis)was analyzed.The results showed that the length of D-loop was 893 bp,owning 87.4% homology with the Bos taurus D-loop sequence,there existed 17 bp deficiency.Among Bovinae,the percentage nucleotide sequence divergence between Poephagus grunniens,Poephagus mutus and American bison of Bison bison was 6.2%-6.8%,which was less than that of Bos taurus and Bos indicus in Bos (10.0%-11.3%).Phylogeny analysis found that Poephagus grunniens,Poephagus mutus and Bison bison were clustered first of all,indicating there was higher genetic comparability among them than that of Bos.Combining with the proof of paleontology,morphology,molecular biology,the data supports the point that Poephagus grunniens and Poephagus mutus are classified as an alone genus in Bovinae,that is Poephagus.