| 1. |
- Brusini, Irene, et al.
(author)
-
Changes in brain architecture are consistent with altered fear processing in domestic rabbits
- 2018
-
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 115:28, s. 7380-7385
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The most characteristic feature of domestic animals is their change in behavior associated with selection for tameness. Here we show, using high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging in wild and domestic rabbits, that domestication reduced amygdala volume and enlarged medial prefrontal cortex volume, supporting that areas driving fear have lost volume while areas modulating negative affect have gained volume during domestication. In contrast to the localized gray matter alterations, white matter anisotropy was reduced in the corona radiata, corpus callosum, and the subcortical white matter. This suggests a compromised white matter structural integrity in projection and association fibers affecting both afferent and efferent neural flow, consistent with reduced neural processing. We propose that compared with their wild ancestors, domestic rabbits are less fearful and have an attenuated flight response because of these changes in brain architecture.
|
|
| 2. |
- Guo, Ying, et al.
(author)
-
Whole-genome selective sweep analyses identifies the region and candidate gene associated with white earlobe color in Mediterranean chickens
- 2024
-
In: Poultry Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-5791 .- 1525-3171. ; 103:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We compared the genomes of multiple domestic chicken breeds with red and white earlobes to identify the differentiated regions between groups of breeds differing in earlobe color. This was done using a selective sweep mapping approach based on whole-genome sequence data. The most significant selective sweep was identified on chromosome 11, where the white earlobe chicken breeds originated from Mediterranean share a common haplotype, and where multiple candidate genes are located. The most plausible functional candidate gene is the Melanocor-tin 1 Receptor (MC1R), a receptor known to regulate pigmentation in the skin and hair, and it is also the gene with the strongest positional support from the haplotype-based analyses. It, however, still needs to be explored experimentally to identify effects also on chicken earlobe color variation. Our study is the first exploration of the genetic basis of white earlobe color in Mediterranean chickens using a selective sweep mapping method based on whole-genome sequencing data and shows its value for identifying likely func-tional genes mediating the pigmentation in earlobe. It also indicates a potential novel role of MC1R in birds and exemplifies how selection on fancy traits has influenced the genome during formation of the modern chicken breeds.
|
|
| 3. |
- Olander, Ewy, et al.
(author)
-
Hälsovägledning i barnhälsovården. Erfarenheter från sju års forsknings- och utvecklingsarbete.
- 2006
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Between 1997 -2005 a research and developing work has been carried out in collaboration between Child Health Services, Lyckeby Primary Health Area , County Council of Blekinge and a researcher at School of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology with purpose to develop health counselling in Child Health Services and to study this process. Corner stones for the collaboration and developing process were a participatory approach, a Health Action process and improvement work evolving from practice. The present report describe the evaluation of improvement for seven years, two initial years as a project and five years in ordinary activity, the impact on health counselling and, strains and obstacles for maintaining. The evaluation suggests that the overall aim for the improvement has been achieved. The studies shows that health counselling is a multi-faced work and therefore actions and improvements can not only focus on the health counselling in the consultations. Several factors interact and influence on the routines for child health services, collaboration and health counselling. The process evaluation showed that the participatory action approach made that the district nurses felt that they “urge on together” to improve the health counselling and reach the goal, although the extra developing work took time. The health action working process and the group meetings developed the request of reflection and discussion. By active participating in the project the district nurses developed awareness, knowledge, skills and methods for action and changing and prerequisites for maintaining and application in the organisation increase. The “outsider” (researcher) is important as a reflection and analysis partner. The improving and changing process needs and takes time, for being emerged and not forced, sustainable and not a dayfly.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ou, Jen-Hsiang, et al.
(author)
-
Complex genetic architecture of the chicken Growth1 QTL region
- 2024
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The genetic complexity of polygenic traits represents a captivating and intricate facet of biological inheritance. Unlike Mendelian traits controlled by a single gene, polygenic traits are influenced by multiple genetic loci, each exerting a modest effect on the trait. This cumulative impact of numerous genes, interactions among them, environmental factors, and epigenetic modifications results in a multifaceted architecture of genetic contributions to complex traits.Given the well-characterized genome, diverse traits, and range of genetic resources, chicken (Gallus gallus) was employed as a model organism to dissect the intricate genetic makeup of a previously identified major Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for body weight on chromosome 1.A multigenerational advanced intercross line (AIL) of 3215 chickens whose genomes had been sequenced to an average of 0.4x was analyzed using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and variance-heterogeneity GWAS (vGWAS) to identify markers associated with 8-week body weight. Additionally, epistatic interactions were studied using the natural and orthogonal interaction (NOIA) model.Six genetic modules, two from GWAS and four from vGWAS, were strongly associated with the studied trait. We found evidence of both additive- and non-additive interactions between these modules and constructed a putative local epistasis network for the region. Our screens for functional alleles revealed a missense variant in the gene ribonuclease H2 subunit B (RNASEH2B), which has previously been associated with growth-related traits in chickens and Darwin’s finches. In addition, one of the most strongly associated SNPs identified is located in a non-coding region upstream of the long non-coding RNA, ENSGALG00000053256, previously suggested as a candidate gene for regulating chicken body weight. By studying large numbers of individuals from a family material using approaches to capture both additive and non-additive effects, this study advances our understanding of genetic complexities in a highly polygenic trait and has practical implications for poultry breeding and agriculture.
|
|
| 5. |
- Rubin, Carl-Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Strong signatures of selection in the domestic pig genome
- 2012
-
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 109:48, s. 19529-19536
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Domestication of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and subsequent selection have resulted in dramatic phenotypic changes in domestic pigs for a number of traits, including behavior, body composition, reproduction, and coat color. Here we have used whole-genome resequencing to reveal some of the loci that underlie phenotypic evolution in European domestic pigs. Selective sweep analyses revealed strong signatures of selection at three loci harboring quantitative trait loci that explain a considerable part of one of the most characteristic morphological changes in the domestic pig - the elongation of the back and an increased number of vertebrae. The three loci were associated with the NR6A1, PLAG1, and LCORL genes. The latter two have repeatedly been associated with loci controlling stature in other domestic animals and in humans. Most European domestic pigs are homozygous for the same haplotype at these three loci. We found an excess of derived nonsynonymous substitutions in domestic pigs, most likely reflecting both positive selection and relaxed purifying selection after domestication. Our analysis of structural variation revealed four duplications at the KIT locus that were exclusively present in white or white-spotted pigs, carrying the Dominant white, Patch, or Belt alleles. This discovery illustrates how structural changes have contributed to rapid phenotypic evolution in domestic animals and how alleles in domestic animals may evolve by the accumulation of multiple causative mutations as a response to strong directional selection.
|
|
| 6. |
- Rubin, Carl-Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Whole genome resequencing reveals loci under selection during chicken domestication
- 2010
-
In: Nature. - London : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 464:7288, s. 587-591
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Domestic animals are excellent models for genetic studies of phenotypic evolution. They have evolved genetic adaptations to a new environment, the farm, and have been subjected to strong human-driven selection leading to remarkable phenotypic changes in morphology, physiology and behaviour. Identifying the genetic changes underlying these developments provides new insight into general mechanisms by which genetic variation shapes phenotypic diversity. Here we describe the use of massively parallel sequencing to identify selective sweeps of favourable alleles and candidate mutations that have had a prominent role in the domestication of chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and their subsequent specialization into broiler (meat-producing) and layer (egg-producing) chickens. We have generated 44.5-fold coverage of the chicken genome using pools of genomic DNA representing eight different populations of domestic chickens as well as red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), the major wild ancestor. We report more than 7,000,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms, almost 1,300 deletions and a number of putative selective sweeps. One of the most striking selective sweeps found in all domestic chickens occurred at the locus for thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), which has a pivotal role in metabolic regulation and photoperiod control of reproduction in vertebrates. Several of the selective sweeps detected in broilers overlapped genes associated with growth, appetite and metabolic regulation. We found little evidence that selection for loss-of-function mutations had a prominent role in chicken domestication, but we detected two deletions in coding sequences that we suggest are functionally important. This study has direct application to animal breeding and enhances the importance of the domestic chicken as a model organism for biomedical research.
|
|
| 7. |
- Rönneburg, Tilman, et al.
(author)
-
Within-line segregation as contributors to long-term, single-trait selection responses in the Virginia chicken lines
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Populations display a remarkable capability to adapt under natural or artificial selection, even far beyond the original phenotype range, given intense single trait selection. The genetic mechanisms to facilitate this however, are still unclear. Here we use an Advanced Intercross Line, generated after 40 generations of intense bi-directional selection from a common outbred founder population, in an attempt to quantify the contribution of still segregating variants to the selection response.While the selection response of the founding lines has been extensively profiled within this population, this has been done under the assumption that the most important regions were fixed for divergent alleles between the lines. Investigating beyond this paradigm has been previously hampered due to requirements in power, marker density, and number of recombination events. Here we use a large low-coverage sequencing dataset that has been imputed to both founder-line haplotypes as well as dense marker coverage using high-quality, deep-coverage sequenced founders. Utilizing this dataset for a multi-locus GWAS approach to contrast with a more traditional cross-QTL methodology, the aim of this study is to identify novel regions that contribute to the phenotype and assess whether and how they contribute to the selection response. Out of 40 (a=890g, 23.9% of total phenotypic variance) Loci retained in the multilocus model, 24 (a=557.5g, 15% of total phenotypic variance) do not overlap known QTL. While some freely segregate between lines, 14 (a=346.6g, 9.3% of total phenotypic variance) of them are fixed in at least one founding line, and likely contribute a significant fraction of the selection response.The variance effect prediction result provides a functional view of markers. The RNASEH2B and TBXAS1 genes were considered as candidates, with previous research supporting body weight-related functions. For GALNT7, ENSGALG00000049347, TOM1, ENSGALG00000013583, ENSGALG00000039245, CHD7, and CNTNAP5 genes, the high conservation score provides a clue of being important for biological functions. However, the mechanism by which these genes regulate body weight still remains limited.
|
|
