Northern white-cheeked gibbon RefSeq Genome. Nomascus leucogenys

Except for chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, gibbons are the closest phylogenetic relatives of humans. Compared to these other hominoid primates, the gibbon genome is unique in having undergone many interchromosomal rearrangements. The gibbon genome sequencing project will identify these rearrangements by BAC-end sequencing and should provide important knowledge about the processes that have shaped hominoid evolution and speciation. Gibbons have recently been reclassified into genera by their diploid chromosome number; the genus Nomascus having 52 diploid chromosomes. The white-cheeked gibbon, Nomascus leucogenys, was formerly classified as a subspecies of the crested gibbon Nomascus concolor. All gibbons are currently listed as endangered.