Application of DNA fingerprinting probes to old world monkeys

Analysis of tandem-repetitive minisatellite DNA in humans provides great discriminatory power in paternity identification and individualization of tissue samples. The molecular probes used to study these hyper-variable loci are here applied to DNA isolated from related animals in four species of Old World monkeys. Probes 33.6 and 33.15 are shown to cross-hybridize with variable minisatellites in Macaca fuscata, Macaca silenus, Erythrocebus patas, and Colobus guereza. The DNA fingerprint patterns are consistent with germ-line stability and mendelian inheritance. Application of DNA fingerprinting to Old World monkeys thus provides a new tool for identifying parentage and can thereby aid in colony management. The technique can also help to elucidate the role of behavioral factors in evolution. The breadth of applicability in other primates remains to be mapped.