Dataset Information

Whole-genome sequencing reveals lactase persistence adaptation in European dogs.

ABSTRACT: Coexistence and cooperation between dogs and humans over thousands of years have supported convergent evolutionary processes in the two species. Previous studies found that Eurasian dogs evolved into a distinct geographic cluster. In this study, we used the genomes of 242 European dogs, 38 Southeast Asian indigenous dogs (SEAI) and 41 grey wolves to identify adaptation of European dogs. We report 86 unique positively selected genes (PSGs) in European dogs, among which is LCT (lactase). LCT encodes lactase which is fundamental for the digestion of lactose. We found that an A-to-G mutation (chr19:38,609,592) is almost fixed in Middle Eastern and European dogs. The results of 2 D SFS support that the mutation is under soft sweep. We inferred that the onset of positive selection of the mutation is shorter than 6,535 years and behind the well-developed dairy economy in central Europe. It increases the expression of LCT by reducing its binding with ZEB1, which would enhance dog's ability to digest milk-based diets. Our study uncovers the genetic basis of convergent evolution between humans and dogs with respect to diet, emphasizing the import of the dog as a bio-medical model for studying mechanisms of the digestive system.

SUBMITTER: Liu YH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8557436 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals Lactase Persistence Adaptation in European Dogs.

Liu Yan-Hu YH Wang Lu L Zhang Zhiguo Z Otecko Newton O NO Khederzadeh Saber S Dai Yongqin Y Liang Bin B Wang Guo-Dong GD Zhang Ya-Ping YP

Molecular biology and evolution 20211001 11

Coexistence and cooperation between dogs and humans over thousands of years have supported convergent evolutionary processes in the two species. Previous studies found that Eurasian dogs evolved into a distinct geographic cluster. In this study, we used the genomes of 242 European dogs, 38 Southeast Asian indigenous (SEAI) dogs, and 41 gray wolves to identify adaptation of European dogs . We report 86 unique positively selected genes in European dogs, among which is LCT (lactase). LCT encodes la ...[more]

PMID: 34289055

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Project description:Ruminant milk and dairy products are important food resources in many European, African, and Middle Eastern societies. These regions are also associated with derived genetic variants for lactase persistence. In mammals, lactase, the enzyme that hydrolyzes the milk sugar lactose, is normally down-regulated after weaning, but at least five human populations around the world have independently evolved mutations regulating the expression of the lactase-phlorizin-hydrolase gene. These mutations result in a dominant lactase persistence phenotype and continued lactase tolerance in adulthood. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at C/T-13910 is responsible for most lactase persistence in European populations, but when and where the T-13910 polymorphism originated and the evolutionary processes by which it rose to high frequency in Europe have been the subject of strong debate. A history of dairying is presumed to be a prerequisite, but archaeological evidence is lacking. In this study, DNA was extracted from the dentine of 36 individuals excavated at a medieval cemetery in Dalheim, Germany. Eighteen individuals were successfully genotyped for the C/T-13910 SNP by molecular cloning and sequencing, of which 13 (72%) exhibited a European lactase persistence genotype: 44% CT, 28% TT. Previous ancient DNA-based studies found that lactase persistence genotypes fall below detection levels in most regions of Neolithic Europe. Our research shows that by AD 1200, lactase persistence frequency had risen to over 70% in this community in western Central Europe. Given that lactase persistence genotype frequency in present-day Germany and Austria is estimated at 71-80%, our results suggest that genetic lactase persistence likely reached modern levels before the historic population declines associated with the Black Death, thus excluding plague-associated evolutionary forces in the rise of lactase persistence in this region. This new evidence sheds light on the dynamic evolutionary history of the European lactase persistence trait and its global cultural implications.

Dataset Information

Whole-genome sequencing reveals lactase persistence adaptation in European dogs.

Publications

Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals Lactase Persistence Adaptation in European Dogs.

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