SNP-based genetic characterization of the Tulane National Primate Research Center's conventional and specific pathogen-free rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) populations

Background: The rhesus macaque is an important biomedical model organism, and the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) has one of the largest rhesus macaque breeding colonies in the United States. Methods: SNP profiles from 3266 rhesus macaques were used to examine the TNPRC colony genetic composition over time and across conventional or SPF animals of Chinese and Indian ancestry. Results: Chinese origin animals were the least genetically diverse and the most inbred; however, since their derivation from their conventional forebearers, neither the Chinese nor the Indian SPF animals exhibit any significant loss of genetic diversity or differentiation. Conclusions: The TNPRC colony managers have successfully minimized loss in genetic variation across generations. Although founder effects and bottlenecks among the Indian animals have been successfully curtailed, the Chinese subpopulation still show some influences from these events.