Intranasal oxytocin and a polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene are associated with human-directed social behavior in golden retriever dogs

Persson, Mia; Trottier, Agaia J.; Bélteky, Johan; Roth, Lina S. V.; Jensen, Per

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.07.016

Cited by 33 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…Subjects of the breed golden retriever were part of a parallel study investigating effects of oxytocin treatment on dogs' human directed social behaviour (Persson et al 2017). Therefore, as part of this parallel study, subsequently to DNA sampling half of the females and half of the males received an intranasal dose of 20 IU oxytocin 45 minutes prior to the behavioural test.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to SEZ6L, ARVCF and COMT, there are other genes suggested to be associated with dogs' human-directed social behaviour. Previous research has found associations between polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene and social behaviour both during problem solving and in additional situations (Kis et al 2014;Persson et al 2017). The oxytocin receptor gene has also been associated with successful training of detection dogs (Konno et al 2018).…”

Section: Manuscript To Be Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…All dogs were originally recruited for and used in other studies. Golden retrievers participated in a study involving intranasal oxytocin treatment and its effect on behaviours in an unsolvable problem task (Persson et al 2017) and, due to this, they were required to be at least 4 months of age (mean age 5 ± SE 0.5 years; range 4 months-12 years) and not pregnant or lactating. Labrador retrievers participated in a study on correlations between the unsolvable problem task and other behaviour assessments (Sundman et al 2018) and were required to be at least 1 and not older than 4 years of age (mean age 2.43 ± 0.195).…”

Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas wolves were more oriented towards the task, dogs quickly gave up and turned to a nearby human in a help-seeking manner. Hence, behavioural tests involving unsolvable tasks that stimulate communication and attention-seeking towards humans can be used to study dog-human social interactions, including variation between and within breeds (Persson et al 2015;Persson et al 2017;Sundman et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peer Review #2 of "Sociality genes are associated with human-directed social behaviour in golden and Labrador retriever dogs (v0.2)"

2018

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Background. Dogs have human-directed social skills that allow them to communicate and cooperate with humans. We have previously identified two loci on chromosome 26 associated with human contactseeking behaviours during an unsolvable problem task in laboratory beagles (Persson et al., 2016). The aim of the present study was to verify the SNPs in additional dog breeds and investigate possible associations to other social skills. We also studied how the allele frequencies have changed during domestication and recent selection. Methods. Dogs of two breeds, 61 golden retrievers and 100 Labrador retrievers, were phenotyped and genotyped, and 19 wolves were genotyped. The Labrador retrievers were divided into common and field type by pedigree data to make it possible to study the effects of recent selection. All dogs were tested in an unsolvable problem task where human-directed social behaviours were scored. DNA from dogs (buccal swabs) and wolves (blood or brain tissue) was analysed for genotype on two of the previously identified SNP markers, BICF2G630798942 (SNP1) and BICF2S23712114 (SNP2), by pyrosequencing. Results. There was genetic variation for SNP1 in both dog breeds whereas the wolves were fixed for this polymorphism, and for SNP2 there was variation in both dogs and wolves. For both SNPs, Labrador retriever types differed significantly in allele frequencies. We found associations between SNPs and human-directed social behaviour in both dog breeds. In golden retrievers, SNP1 was associated with physical contact variables, for example with the duration of physical contact with the owner (F 2,56 = 4.389, p = 0.017). SNP2 was associated with several behavioural variables in both breeds, among others owner gazing frequency in both golden retrievers (F 2,55 = 6.330, p = 0.003) and Labradors (F 1,93 = 5.209, p = 0.025). Discussion. Our results verify the association between the previously identified SNPs and humandirected social behaviour scored in an unsolvable problem task. Differences in allele frequencies suggest that these loci have been affected by selection. The results suggest that these genomic regions are involved in human-directed social behaviour in not only beagles but in other dog breeds as well. We hypothesise that they may have been important during dog domestication.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Manuscript To Be Reviewedmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Peer Review #2 of "Sociality genes are associated with human-directed social behaviour in golden and Labrador retriever dogs (v0.2)"

2018

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“…There are also other candidate genes that have been indicated for being involved in dogs' social behaviour, for example hormones and neurotransmitters. Polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene (130,131) and the opioid receptor gene (132) are associated with human-directed social behaviours, and polymorphisms in dopamine and serotonin related genes are associated with human-directed aggression (133).…”

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confidence: 99%

Dog behaviour : Intricate picture of genetics, epigenetics, and human-dog relations

Sundman

2019

Linköping Studies in Science and Technology. Dissertations

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Dogs, Canis familiaris, share the lives of humans all over the world. That dogs, and the behaviour of dogs, are of interest to many is therefore no surprise. In this thesis, the main aim has been to identify factors that affect dogs' behaviours. The dog, Canis familiaris, is our first domesticated animal. Since domestication, various types of dogs have developed through adaptation to an environment shared with humans and through our selective breeding, resulting in a unique variation in morphology and behaviour. Although there is an individual variation in the behaviour of dogs, there is also a difference between breeds. Moreover, selection during the last decades has split some breeds into divergent types. Labrador and golden retrievers are divided into a common type, for show and companionship, and a field type, for hunting. By comparing the breed types, we can study the effects of recent selection. In Paper I, we investigate differences in general behavioural traits between Labrador and golden retriever and between common and field type within the two breeds by using results from the standardized behaviour test Dog Mentality Assessment. There were differences between breeds and types for all behavioural traits. However, there was also an interaction between breed and type. Thus, a common/field-type Labrador does not behave like a common/field-type golden retriever. Even though they have been selected for similar traits, the selection has affected the general behavioural traits differently in the two breeds. In paper II, we were interested in dogs' human-directed social skills. Dogs have a high social competence when it comes to humans. Two experiments commonly used to study these skills are the problem-solving test, where dogs' human-directed behaviours when faced with a problem are measured, and the pointing test, where dogs are tested on how well they understand human gestures. We compared the social skills of German shepherds and Labrador retrievers, and of common-and field-type Labradors. Labradors were more successful in the pointing test and German shepherds stayed closer to their owners during the problem solving. Among Labrador types, the field type had more human eye contact than the common type. Importantly, when comparing the two experiments, we found no positive correlations between the problem-solving test and the pointing test, suggesting that the two tests measure different aspects of human-directed social behaviour in dogs. A previous study has identified two suggestive genetic regions for human-directed social behaviours during the problem-solving test in beagles. In paper III, we show that these SNPs are also associated to social behaviours in Labrador and golden retrievers. Moreover, the Labrador breed types differed significantly in allele frequencies. This indicates that the two SNPs have been affected by recent selection and may have a part in the differences in sociability between common and field type. The behaviour of dogs cannot simply be explained by genetics, there is also an enviro...

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Biological and Hormonal Approaches to the Evolution of Human-Canine Relationships

Wirobski

Lazzaroni

Marshall-Pescini

et al. 2023

Nebraska Symposium on Motivation

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Intranasal oxytocin and a polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene are associated with human-directed social behavior in golden retriever dogs

Cited by 33 publications

References 58 publications

Peer Review #2 of "Sociality genes are associated with human-directed social behaviour in golden and Labrador retriever dogs (v0.2)"

Peer Review #2 of "Sociality genes are associated with human-directed social behaviour in golden and Labrador retriever dogs (v0.2)"

Dog behaviour : Intricate picture of genetics, epigenetics, and human-dog relations

Biological and Hormonal Approaches to the Evolution of Human-Canine Relationships

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