Why Huskies have blue eyes?

Blue-eye piercing is one of the characteristics that makes Siberian huskies one of the most popular dogs in the world. And now, scientists believe they know why these animals have such a hypnotizing look.

The answer lies in the genetic makeup of the breed: more specifically, the canine chromosome 18, according to scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University.

It is thought that this study is the first genomic association study on dogs using a genetics service for the general public. In such an approach, markers in the genomes of many subjects (usually humans, but in this case animals) are scanned to identify genetic variations of a disease or trait, such as the eyes blue.

In recent years, personal DNA testing companies that promise to provide insights into our character traits, origins, and disease risk have exploded in popularity. Last year, more people have passed genealogy tests for the general public, more than 12 million according to industry estimates cited by the MIT Technology Review.

Previous research has revealed that two genetic factors are causing blue eyes in merle and piebald dogs, which are due to mutations in a protein that may also produce a peeled coat. But this is not the case for huskies.

The team analyzed the DNA of 6,070 mixed and mixed breed dogs to reach the bottom of the crystalline eyes of the Siberian husky. Their owners also sent researchers photos of dogs and completed online surveys on their animals. Of this total, 156 dogs had blue or partially blue eyes.

By studying the canines, the researchers discovered what is called a haplotype, or a set of genetic variants found on a chromosome.

The duplication of a variant of the homeobox gene, which plays a key role in the development of mammalian eyes, seemed to be isolated in Siberian huskies and explained why their eyes were blue.

The authors believe that duplicating the same gene could also explain why some Australian sheepdogs have blue eyes.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, It was a collaboration between researchers from Cornell University and a dog DNA startup company called Embark, which funded the study.

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Aaron Sams, of Embark Veterinary Inc., stated Newsweek: "The biggest surprise for me was that this duplication, which mainly explains the blue eyes in the huskies, can also explain the blue eyes in a subset of Australian shepherds tricolor (non merle), until here unexplained . "

He continued, "There is certainly a lot of work to be done to fully understand the color of the eyes in dogs, for example, whereas dogs with only one copy of this mutation usually have completely or partially blue eyes, In rare cases, a dog carries this mutation, but not blue eyes, which means that other genetic or environmental factors affect the expression of this trait.

"In the future, this could allow dog breeders to control the color of the eyes from their litters," said Sams.

This study is the latest in providing insight into the inner workings of our four-legged friends. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy, concluded that dogs could understand human emotions based on facial expressions. For example, if a dog detects that a human is having a bad day, his heart rate could increase, according to a study published in the newspaper Springer Learning and behavior.