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Synteny and Evolution

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 13, 2025

The Mouse Hindbrain As a Model for Studying Embryonic Neurogenesis

The Mouse Hindbrain As a Model for Studying Embryonic Neurogenesis

Published on: January 29, 2018

The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) as a model for early primate brain evolution.

Chun Lum Andy Ho¹, Claudia Fichtel², Daniel Huber¹

¹University of Geneva, Department of Basic Neurosciences, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland.

Current Opinion in Neurobiology

|November 12, 2021

Summary

The gray mouse lemur is a small primate model for studying early primate evolution. Its traits and cognitive abilities make it ideal for understanding brain evolution in primates.

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Last Updated: Oct 13, 2025

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Area of Science:

Primate evolutionary biology
Neuroscience
Paleoanthropology

Background:

The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is among the smallest primates.
It shares ecological and anatomical similarities with early euprimates.
Mouse lemurs exhibit cognitive abilities and cortical organization comparable to haplorhines.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish the gray mouse lemur as a model for studying early primate brain evolution.
To investigate the lower limits of functional brain circuit miniaturization in primates.
To leverage its phylogenetic position and primitive traits for evolutionary insights.

Main Methods:

Comparative anatomical analysis.
Cognitive and behavioral assessments.
Neuroimaging studies (implied).

Main Results:

Mouse lemurs possess traits analogous to early euprimates.
Demonstrated comparable cognitive functions and cortical organization to haplorhines.
Small brain size offers insights into brain miniaturization limits.

Conclusions:

The gray mouse lemur is an excellent model for understanding early primate brain evolution.
Its unique combination of traits provides a window into primate evolutionary history.
Further research can elucidate the miniaturization of primate brain circuits.