Genetic Structure of the Purebred Domestic Dog

Abstract

We used molecular markers to study genetic relationships in a diverse collection of 85 domestic dog breeds. Differences among breeds accounted for approximately 30% of genetic variation. Microsatellite genotypes were used to correctly assign 99% of individual dogs to breeds. Phylogenetic analysis separated several breeds with ancient origins from the remaining breeds with modern European origins. We identified four genetic clusters, which predominantly contained breeds with similar geographic origin, morphology, or role in human activities. These results provide a genetic classification of dog breeds and will aid studies of the genetics of phenotypic breed differences.

Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs ( Canis familiaris )

“…Our study populations (Siberian Huskies and Border Collies) have been selected for markedly different purposes (cooperative versus independent work) and they belong to different genetic clusters (Parker et al, 2004). Thus genetic differences between these breeds in the oxytocin system could be (at least partly) responsible for the differential effects of oxytocin treatment on behavior.…”

“…Dogs are highly unusual in their phenotypic variation (Parker et al, 2004) and are thus ideal to study within-species individual differences. Indeed, the more than 400 living dog breeds show extreme morphological and behavioral plasticity (Svartberg 2006) and breed specific behavioral differences are often viewed as a consequence of the past selection during the breeds' origins (Scott and Fuller 1965).…”

“…Specifically, we investigate (1) tendency to make eye contact with a human partner and gaze alternations between the target object and the human in an unsolvable task, (2) tendency to use referential looking towards the owner, when facing an ambiguous (potentially dangerous) stimulus and (3) tolerance of prolonged eye contact with a human in an emotionally neutral situation. Two markedly different breeds, a cooperative worker (Border Collie) and an independent worker (Siberian Husky) were selected for the study that belong to different genetic clusters (Parker et al, 2004). We predicted that dogs in these two groups differ in sociability, that is, dogs from the breed type that has been selected for cooperation in visually guided tasks would show superior performance in the use of gaze cues as compared to dogs from independent work breed.…”

Finding cardiovascular disease genes in the dog

“…To determine the ancestral relationship between breeds, Parker et al have analyzed data from 96 microsatellite markers genotyped on five unrelated dogs from each of 85 breeds. They then performed an unsupervised clustering analysis using the computer program structure 15 . The 85 breeds were ordered into four clusters, generating a new canine classification system for dog breeds based on similar patterns of alleles, presumably from a shared ancestral pool 15 .…”

“…Recent studies have brought advances in understanding the genetics of breed development 15 and the availability of ever higher resolution maps [16][17][18][19][20][21] . These have led to the mapping of disease loci for a variety of diseases including metabolic disorders 22,23 , blindness [24][25][26][27][28] , cancer 29,30 neurologic disorders 31,32 , hip dysplasia 33 epilepsy 34 , as well as several morphologic traits 35,36 .…”