Project description:Selective breeding of domestic dogs has generated diverse breeds often optimized for performing specialized tasks. Despite the heritability of breed-typical behavioral traits, identification of causal loci has proven challenging due to the complexity of canine population structure. We overcome longstanding difficulties in identifying genetic drivers of canine behavior by developing an innovative framework for understanding relationships between breeds and the behaviors that define them utilizing genetic data for over 4,000 domestic, semi-feral and wild canids and behavioral survey data for over 46,000 dogs. We identify ten major canine genetic lineages and their behavioral correlates and show that breed diversification is predominantly driven by non-coding regulatory variation. We determine that lineage-associated genes converge in neurodevelopmental co-expression networks, identifying a sheepdog-associated enrichment for interrelated axon guidance functions. This work presents a scaffold for canine diversification that positions the domestic dog as an unparalleled system for revealing the genetic origins of behavioral diversity.
Project description:Selective breeding of domestic dogs has generated diverse breeds often optimized for performing specialized tasks. Despite the heritability of breed-typical behavioral traits, identification of causal loci has proven challenging due to the complexity of canine population structure. We overcome longstanding difficulties in identifying genetic drivers of canine behavior by developing a framework for understanding relationships between breeds and the behaviors that define them, utilizing genetic data for over 4,000 domestic, semi-feral, and wild canids and behavioral survey data for over 46,000 dogs. We identify ten major canine genetic lineages and their behavioral correlates and show that breed diversification is predominantly driven by non-coding regulatory variation. We determine that lineage-associated genes converge in neurodevelopmental co-expression networks, identifying a sheepdog-associated enrichment for interrelated axon guidance functions. This work presents a scaffold for canine diversification that positions the domestic dog as an unparalleled system for revealing the genetic origins of behavioral diversity.
Project description:Through thousands of years of breeding and strong human selection, the dog (Canis lupus familiaris) exists today within hundreds of closed populations throughout the world, each with defined phenotypes. A singular geographic region with broad diversity in dog breeds presents an interesting opportunity to observe potential mechanisms of breed formation. Italy claims 14 internationally recognized dog breeds, with numerous additional local varieties. To determine the relationship among Italian dog populations, we integrated genetic data from 263 dogs representing 23 closed dog populations from Italy, seven Apennine gray wolves. Using 142,840 genome-wide SNPs, this dataset was used in the identification of breed development routes for the Italian breeds that included divergence from common populations for a specific purpose, admixture of regional stock with that from other regions, and isolated selection of local stock with specific attributes.
Project description:Gastrointestinal (GI) mucus is continuously secreted and lines the entire length of the GI tract. Essential for health, it keeps the noxious luminal content away from the epithelium and propels forward the digesta. The aim of our study was to characterize the composition and structures of mucus throughout the various GI segments in dog. Mucus from the stomach, small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), and large intestine (cecum, proximal and distal colon) was collected from 5 dogs. pH and water content of GI mucus and digesta were analyzed. Composition of all GI-tract segments from a domestic and a laboratory dog was determined by label-free global proteomics. A colonic-focussed composition analysis with TMT-labelled proteomics was used on jenunal and proximal and distal colonic mucus samples from 3 laboratory and 1 domestic dog. Finally, the composition of jejunal and colonic mucus samples of 3 laboratory and 1 domestic dog was evaluated with lipidomics and metabolomics. Structural properties were investigated using cryoSEM and rheology. The proteome was similar across the different GI segments. The highest abundant secreted gel-forming mucin in the gastric mucus was mucin 5AC, whether mucin 2 had highest abundance in the intestinal mucus. Lipid and metabolite abundance was generally higher in the jejunal mucus than the colonic mucus. In conclusion, the mucus is a highly viscous and hydrated material. The proteins, lipids and metabolites were similar throughout the GI tract, although abundances depended on location. These data provide an important baseline for future studies on human and canine intestinal diseases and the dog model in drug absorption.
Project description:High-throughput sequencing of small RNAs from domestic dog lymphocytes Keywords: high-throughput Solexa sequencing Small RNAs were sequenced from domestic dog lymphocytes
Project description:In this study, beta-TCP was implanted in dog mandibles, after which the gene expression profiles and signaling pathways were monitored using microarray and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA). Following the extraction of premolars and subsequent bone healing, betaâTCP was implanted into the artificial osseous defect. Total RNA was isolated from bone tissues and gene expression profiles were examined using microarray analysis. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression and identified distinct classes of up- and down- regulated genes during this process. Waiting 3 months healing after tooth extraction from beagle dog mandibles, we drilled the holes in the dog mandibles, and implanted without and with beta-TCP. And these dog mandibles were selected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. After implanting beta-TCP in the dog mandibles 4, 7, 14 days, we selected sample at 3 time points: Control_4d, beta-TCP_4d, Control_7d, beta-TCP_7d, Control_14d, beta-TCP_14d.