为了发现造成狗的特定性状的基因改变，科学家分析了10个品种共275只家养的狗的基因组。在过去1.4万年中狗的驯化带来了400多种狗，每一种都具有独特的体格、皮毛颜色以及性格。此前的研究发现了带来特定特性的基因，诸如达克斯犬的短腿。
Joshua Akey及其同事分析了一系列品种的狗，从而确定数个世纪的选择性育种对于整个狗基因组的影响。这组作者扫描了将近300只狗的遗传记录，包括小猎犬、博德牧羊犬、杰克罗素梗犬、沙皮犬以及标准贵妇犬，并确定了选择性育种如何影响了这些动物的基因组。这组作者发现了155个不同的遗传位置可能在产生纯种狗的独特特性方面起到了作用，并提出这些信息可能为找到产生特定品种形状的基因提供线索。例如，这组科学家提出不同版本的HAS2基因可能为沙皮犬带来了它的独特的褶皱或光滑的外皮。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PNAS January 11, 2010, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0909918107
Tracking footprints of artificial selection in the dog genome
Joshua M. Akeya,1, Alison L. Ruheb, Dayna T. Akeya, Aaron K. Wongb, Caitlin F. Connellya, Jennifer Madeoya, Thomas J. Nicholasa and Mark W. Neffb,c,d,1
aDepartment of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195;
bCenter for Veterinary Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616;
cCenter for Canine Health and Performance, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85004; and
dThe Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
The size, shape, and behavior of the modern domesticated dog has been sculpted by artificial selection for at least 14,000 years. The genetic substrates of selective breeding, however, remain largely unknown. Here, we describe a genome-wide scan for selection in 275 dogs from 10 phenotypically diverse breeds that were genotyped for over 21,000 autosomal SNPs. We identified 155 genomic regions that possess strong signatures of recent selection and contain candidate genes for phenotypes that vary most conspicuously among breeds, including size, coat color and texture, behavior, skeletal morphology, and physiology. In addition, we demonstrate a significant association between HAS2 and skin wrinkling in the Shar-Pei, and provide evidence that regulatory evolution has played a prominent role in the phenotypic diversification of modern dog breeds. Our results provide a first-generation map of selection in the dog, illustrate how such maps can rapidly inform the genetic basis of canine phenotypic variation, and provide a framework for delineating the mechanistic basis of how artificial selection promotes rapid and pronounced phenotypic evolution.
