Phylogenetic Relationships Among Giant Panda and Related Species Based on Restriction Site Variations in rDNA Spacers

In this study,non-radioactive Digoxigenin labeled ribosomal DNA(rDNA) probes were used for Southern blotting analysis to study the molecular phylogeny of the giant panda and related species.Restriction maps in the regions of rDNA spacers were compared between giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca),lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens),Asiatic black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus),sun bear (Helarctos malayanus),raccoon (Procyon lotor) and lynx (Felis lynx).Phylogenetic trees for these species were constructed using maximum likelihood and parsimony method.The results show that in respect to rDNA RFLPs,the giant panda is more closely related to bear than to lesser panda;while the lesser panda is slightly related to the raccoon.