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This article examines genomic findings in the DNA of the world's wild cats and says the information has clarified the cat family tree and uncovered remarkable migrations in their past. DNA evidence shows that all living cats trace back to a pantherlike predator that lived in Southeast Asia nearly 11 million years ago. The big roaring cats were the first to branch off and seven other lineages followed. As the sea levels rose and fell, the cats migrated and developed into new species. INSETS: KEY CONCEPTS;SOLVING THE CAT PUZZLE.

Focuses on studies conducted on persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and how genes attribute to these persons part or full resistance to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Number of persons who died from AIDS in the United States; Why some individuals escape HIV infection despite being at high risk. INSETS: The mysterious natural history of the resistance allele.;Other influnces on HIV progression..

Investigates the factors that result to the declining population of cheetahs. Background on the scientific investigation regarding the decline of the cheetah population and the difficulties in captive breeding; Link between genetic abnormalities in some animals and infertility; Inability of the cheetah population to preserve its genetic variation.

Looks at the family line of cats. Genetically related cats; The cat family tree; The lineage of domestic cats; Pumas; Ocelots; Panthers; Servals; Rusty-spotted cats; Caracals; Bay cats; Asian Leopard cats; Lynxs; The use of genome mapping; Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in wild cats.

Presents a letter to the editor relating to the phylogeny of the giant panda.

This article discusses research into the evolution of domesticated cats, which is complicated by the fact that they do not appear to serve humans. Although several species are morphologically similar, genetic research focusing on mitochondrial DNA and genetic microsatellites found that domesticated cats descended from F. sylvestris lybica. Archaeological research indicating cats came to live with humans as the prevalence of house mice in agricultural settlements increased is noted. INSETS: THE HOUSE CAT'S ANCESTOR;EARLY DOMESTICATION;FROM WILD TO MILD;The Truth about Cats and Dogs

Objective: Mitochondrial function plays a role in both AIDS progression and HAART toxicity; therefore, we sought to determine whether mitochondrial DNA variation revealed novel AIDS restriction genes, particularly as mitochondrial DNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms are known to influence regulation of oxidative phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species production, and apoptosis.Design: This is a retrospective cohort study.Methods: We performed an association study of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups among 1833 European American HIV-1 patients from five US cohorts: the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, the San Francisco City Clinic Study, Hemophilia Growth and Development Study, the Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study, and the AIDS Linked to Intravenous Experiences cohort to determine whether the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup correlated with AIDS progression rate.Results: Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups J and U5a were elevated among HIV-1 infected people who display accelerated progression to AIDS and death. Haplogroups Uk, H3, and IWX appeared to be highly protective against AIDS progression.Conclusion: The associations found in our study appear to support a functional explanation by which mitochondrial DNA variation among haplogroups, influencing ATP production, reactive oxygen species generation, and apoptosis, is correlated to AIDS disease progression; however, repeating these results in cohorts with different ethnic backgrounds would be informative. These data suggest that mitochondrial genes are important indicators of AIDS disease progression in HIV-1 infected persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]