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- Björnerfeldt, Susanne, 1975-
(författare)
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Consequences of the Domestication of Man’s Best Friend, The Dog
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The dog was the first animal to be domesticated and the process started at least 15 000 years ago. Today it is the most morphologically diverse mammal, with a huge variation in size and shape. Dogs have always been useful to humans in several ways, from being a food source, hunting companion, guard, social companion and lately also a model for scientific research. This thesis describes some of the changes that have occurred in the dog’s genome, both during the domestication process and later through breed creation. To give a more comprehensive view, three genetic systems were studied: maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, paternally inherited Y chromosome and biparental autosomal chromosomes. I also sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes to view the effect new living conditions might have had on dogs’ genes after domestication. Finally, knowledge of the genetic structure in purebred dogs was used to test analytic methods usable in other species or in natural populations where little information is available. The domestication process appears to have caused a relaxation of the selective constraint in the mitochondrial genome, leading to a faster rate of accumulation of nonsynonymous changes in the mitochondrial genes. Later, the process of breed creation resulted in genetically separated breed groups. Breeds are a result from an unequal contribution of males and females with only a few popular sires contributing and a larger amount of dams. However, modern breeder preferences might lead to disruptive selective forces within breeds, which can result in additional fragmentation of breeds. The increase in linkage disequilibrium that this represents increases the value of purebred dogs as model organisms for the identification and mapping of diseases and traits. Purebred dogs’ potential for these kinds of studies will probably increase the more we know about the dog’s genome.
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- Björnerfeldt, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of methods for single hair DNA amplification
- 2007
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Ingår i: Conservation Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-0621 .- 1572-9737. ; 8:4, s. 977-981
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because of the low amount of DNA in single hairs, it may be difficult to obtain reliable genotypes for forensic and conservation genetics studies. We therefore compared different methods for reliably genotyping single hair samples. Our results indicate that preliminary whole genome amplification can increase the likelihood of successfully genotyping a single hair compared to other commonly used protocols. The difference between the methods is small for single locus comparisons, but it becomes more important in multi-locus comparisons. The economic and time costs of the whole genome amplification may prevent its large-scale use in non-invasive monitoring programs. Nevertheless, it may be a very useful approach for the analysis of especially valuable samples.
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| 7. |
- Björnerfeldt, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Relaxation of selective constraint on dog mitochondrial DNA following domestication
- 2006
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Ingår i: Genome Research. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. - 1088-9051 .- 1549-5469. ; 16:8, s. 990-994
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The domestication of dogs caused a dramatic change in their way of life compared with that of their ancestor, the gray wolf. We hypothesize that this new life style changed the selective forces that acted upon the species, which in turn had an effect on the dog's genome. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial DNA genome in 14 dogs, six wolves, and three coyotes. Here we show that dogs have accumulated nonsynonymous changes in mitochondrial genes at a faster rate than wolves, leading to elevated levels of variation in their proteins. This suggests that a major consequence of domestication in dogs was a general relaxation of selective constraint on their mitochondrial genome. If this change also affected other parts of the dog genome, it could have facilitated the generation of novel functional genetic diversity. This diversity could thus have contributed raw material upon which artificial selection has shaped modern breeds and may therefore be an important source of the extreme phenotypic variation present in modern-day dogs.
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| 9. |
- Lindberg, Julia, et al.
(författare)
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Selection for tameness modulates the expression of heme related genes in silver foxes
- 2007
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Ingår i: Behavioral and Brain Functions. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1744-9081. ; 3, s. 18-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The genetic and molecular mechanisms of tameness are largely unknown. A line of silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) selected for non-aggressive behavior has been used in Russia since the 1960's to study the effect of domestication. We have previously compared descendants of these selected (S) animals with a group of non-selected (NS) silver foxes kept under identical conditions, and showed that changes in the brain transcriptome between the two groups are small. Unexpectedly, many of the genes showing evidence of differential expression between groups were related to hemoproteins. RESULTS: In this study, we use quantitative RT-PCR to demonstrate that the activity of heme related genes differ between S and NS foxes in three regions of the brain. Furthermore, our analyses also indicate that changes in mRNA levels of heme related genes can be well described by an additive polygenic effect. We also show that the difference in genetic background between the two lines of foxes is limited, as estimated by mitochondrial DNA divergence. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that selection for tameness can modify the expression of heme related genes in canid brain regions known to modulate emotions and behavior. The possible involvement of heme related genes in behavior is surprising. It is possible that hemoglobin modulates the behavior of canids by interaction with CO and NO signaling. Another possibility is that hemorphins, known to be produced after enzymatic cleavage of hemoglobin, are responsible for behavioral alterations. Thus, we hypothesize that hemoglobin metabolism can be a functionally relevant aspect of the domestic phenotype in foxes selected for tameness.
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| 11. |
- Wilbe, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Increased genetic risk or protection for canine autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis in Giant Schnauzers depends on DLA class II genotype
- 2010
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Ingår i: Tissue Antigens. - : Wiley. - 0001-2815 .- 1399-0039. ; 75, s. 712-719
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dogs represent an excellent comparative model for autoimmune thyroiditis as several dog breeds develop canine lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT), which is clinically similar to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in human. We obtained evidence that dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II genotype function as either genetic risk factor that predisposes for CLT or as protective factor against the disease. Genetic diversity at their DLA-DRB1, -DQA1, and -DQB1 loci were defined and potential association to major histocompatibility complex II haplotypes and alleles was analyzed. Giant Schnauzers carrying the DLA-DRB1*01201/DQA1*00101/DQB1*00201 haplotype showed an increased risk (odds ratio of 6.5) for developing CLT. The same risk haplotype has, to date, been observed in three different breeds affected by this disease, Giant Schnauzer, Dobermann, and Labrador Retriever, indicating that it is a common genetic risk factor in a variety of breeds affected by this disease. Importantly, protection for development of the disease was found in dogs carrying the DLA-DRB1*01301/DQA1*00301/DQB1*00501 haplotype (odds ratio of 0.3).
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