An Analysis of the Phylogenetic Relationship of Thai Cervids Inferred from Nucleotide Sequences of Protein Kinase C Iota (PRKCI) Intron

Abstract

The phylogenetic relationship of five Thai cervid species (n=21) and four spotted deer (Axis axis, n=4), was determined based on nucleotide sequences of the intron region of the protein kinase C iota (PRKCI) gene. Blood samples were collected from seven captive breeding centers in Thailand from which whole genomic DNA was extracted. Intron1 sequences of the PRKCI nuclear gene were amplified by a polymerase chain reaction, using L748 and U26 primers. Approximately 552 base pairs of all amplified fragments were analyzed using the neighbor-joining distance matrix method, and 19 parsimonyinformative sites were analyzed using the maximum parsimony approach. Phylogenetic analyses using the subfamily Muntiacinae as outgroups for tree rooting indicated similar topologies for both phylogenetic trees, clearly showing a separation of three distinct genera of Thai cervids: Muntiacus, Cervus, and Axis. The study also found that a phylogenetic relationship within the genus Axis would be monophyletic if both spotted deer and hog deer were included. Hog deer have been conventionally classified in the genus Cervus (Cervus porcinus), but this finding supports a recommendation to reclassify hog deer in the genus Axis.