Project description:This study used the NimbleGen dog whole genome CGH 2.1M tiling array to assay copy number variants in the dog genome in multiple breeds and wolf. 53 samples of genomic DNA were hybridized to a reference sample. The dataset comprises 2 samples from each of 15 dog breeds, 10 samples from each of 2 dog breeds and 3 samples from gray wolf.
Project description:This study uses a custom made Nimblegen aCGH chip that targeted all segmental duplications in the canine genome to identify associated CNVs. A total of 23 hybridizations were performed in a panel of diverse dogs and a single wolf. This study focuses on the use a custom made Nimblegen aCGH chip to genotype 1,611 dog CNVs in 23 wolf-like canids (4 purebred dogs, one dingo, 15 gray wolves, one red wolf, one coyote and one golden jackal) to identify CNVs that may have arisen after domestication
Project description:Understanding the anatomical and genetic basis of complex phenotypic traits has long been a challenge for biological research. Domestic dogs offer a compelling model as they demonstrate more phenotypic variation than any other vertebrate species. Dogs have been intensely selected for specific traits and abilities, directly or indirectly, over the past 15,000 years since their initial domestication from the gray wolf. Because olfaction plays a central role in critical tasks, such as the detection of drugs, diseases, and explosives, as well as human rescue, we compared relative olfactory capacity across dog breeds and assessed changes to the canine olfactory system to their direct ancestors, wolves, and coyotes. We conducted a cross-disciplinary survey of olfactory anatomy, olfactory receptor (OR) gene variation, and OR gene expression in domestic dogs. Through comparisons to their closest wild canid relatives, the gray wolf and coyote, we show that domestic dogs might have lost functional OR genes commensurate with a documented reduction in nasal morphology as an outcome ofthe domestication process priorto breed formation.Critically, within domestic dogs alone, we found no genetic or morphological profile shared among functional or genealogical breed groupings, such as scent hounds, that might indicate evidence of any human-directed selection for enhanced olfaction. Instead, our results suggest that superior scent detection dogs likely owe their success to advantageous behavioral traits and training rather than an “olfactory edge” provided by morphology or genes.
Project description:Phenotypic plasticity, the ability to switch between different morphological types, plays critical roles in environmental adaptation, leading to infections, and allowing for sexual reproduction in pathogenic Candida species. Candida tropicalis, which is both an emerging human fungal pathogen and an environmental fungus, can switch between two heritable cell types termed white and opaque. In this study, we report the discovery of a novel phenotype in C. tropicalis, named the gray phenotype. Similar to Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis, white, gray, and opaque cell types of C. tropicalis also form a tristable switching system, where gray cells are relatively small and elongated. In C. tropicalis, gray cells exhibit intermediate levels of mating competency and virulence in a mouse systemic infection model compared to the white and opaque cell types, express a set of cell type-enriched genes, and exhibit both common and species-specific biological features. The key regulators of white-opaque transitions, Wor1 and Efg1, are not required for the gray phenotype. A comparative study of the gray phenotypes in C. tropicalis, C. albicans, and C. dubliniensis provides clues to explain the species differences in terms of virulence, ecological niches, and prevalence among these three species.