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University of Michigan
Great as wolves, or small as rodents, with or without pedigree, dogs are our faithful companions. They live, play and even sleep with us. But, how has a wolf – like animal evolved, once nocturnal and dreadful, for tens of thousands of years to become members of our family?
To answer this question of genetics, scientists from the Department of Human Genetics Medicine of Michigan (USA) compared the DNA of dogs and wolves to try to identify the genes involved in domestication . The results are published in BMC Biology.
Purebred dogs, which first appeared about 300 years ago, do not fully reflect the genetic diversity of dogs in the world. Three-quarters of the stray dogs in the world roam, seek food near human populations and can mate freely. In order to obtain a more complete picture of the genetic changes involved in the evolution of this animal, the team analyzed the genetic material of 43 stray dogs from India, Portugal and Vietnam.
Armed with this DNA, found ancient dogs In 5,000-year-old burial sites and also wolves, they used statistical methods to uncover the genetic changes resulting from the early human domestication efforts associated with the development of specific breeds. This new genetic review revealed 246 possible genes associated with domestication, most of them being identified for the first time by their laboratory.
After further inspection, the researchers noted that these genes influenced brain function, development, and behavior. In addition, the genes they found seemed to support what is called the domestication hypothesis of the neural crest, which postulates that the phenotypes we see in domestic animals over and over again (Ears fallen, changes in the jaw, staining, domesticated behavior) they can be explained by genetic changes that act on a certain type of cell during development called neural.
One gene in particular excelled, called RAI1. "It's a good starting point in studies of brain function because its mutation produces a brain disorder," says Shigeki Iwase, a researcher at the University of Michigan. "Studies suggest that this protein controls the expression of several genes involved in circadian rhythms, one of the unique characteristics of these conditions is the problem that these patients have with sleep." In dogs, changes in this gene might help explain why domestic dogs are awake during the day instead of being nocturnal like most wolves.
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