We review the underlying principles and tools used in genomic studies of domestic dogs aimed at understanding the genetic changes that have occurred during domestication. We show that there are two principle modes of evolution within dogs. One primary mode that accounts for much of the remarkable diversity of dog breeds is the fixation of discrete mutations of large effect in individual lineages that are then crossed to various breed groupings. This transfer of mutations across the dog evolutionary tree leads to the appearance of high phenotypic diversity that in actuality reflects a small number of major genes. A second mechanism causing diversification involves the selective breeding of dogs within distinct phenotypic or functional groups, which enhances specific group attributes such as heading or tracking. Such progressive selection leads to a distinct genetic structure in evolutionary trees such that functional and phenotypic groups cluster genetically. We trace the origin of the nuclear genome in dogs based on haplotype-sharing analyses between dogs and gray wolves and show that contrary to previous mtDNA analyses, the nuclear genome of dogs derives primarily from Middle Eastern or European wolves, a result more consistent with the archeological record. Sequencing analysis of the IGF1 gene, which has been the target of size selection in small breeds, further supports this conclusion. Finally, we discuss how a black coat color mutation that evolved in dogs has transformed North American gray wolf populations, providing a first example of a mutation that appeared under domestication and selectively swept through a wild relative.
Domestication of plants and animals is the major factor underlying human civilization and is a gigantic evolutionary experiment of adaptation and speciation, generating incipient species. Wheat is one of the most important grain crops in the world, and consists mainly of two types: the hexaploid ...
Understanding a wider range of genotype–phenotype associations can be achieved through ecological and evolutionary studies of traditional laboratory models. Here, we conducted the first large-scale geographic analysis of genetic variation within and among wild zebrafish (Danio rerio) population...
The fungus Mycosphaerella graminicola emerged as a new pathogen of cultivated wheat during its domestication ~11,000 yr ago. We assembled 12 high-quality full genome sequences to investigate the genetic footprints of selection in this wheat pathogen and closely related sister species that infect ...
Bacteriophages (phages) are the viruses of bacteria and the study of phage biology can be differentiated, roughly, into molecular, environmental, evolutionary, ecological, and applied aspects. While for much of the past fifty-plus years molecular and then applied aspects have dominated the field,...
submitted by amitgoyal1972 2 years and 5 months ago
Apicomplexa have developed distinctive adaptations for invading and surviving within animal cells. Here a synthetic overview of the diversity and evolutionary history of cell membrane"-associated, "-secreted, and "-exported proteins related to apicomplexan parasitism is presented. A notable featu...
Recent genomic studies have elucidated many aspects of phytopathogenic Fusarium species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have helped to clarify ambiguities in traditional classification systems of Fusarium. In Fusarium oxysporum and F. redolens, for example, phylogenetic analyses have revealed th...
Progress in evolutionary genomics is tightly coupled with the development of new technologies to collect high-throughput data. The availability of next-generation sequencing technologies has the potential to revolutionize genomic research and enable us to focus on a large number of outstanding qu...
Growing recognition of the numerous, diverse and important roles played by non-coding RNA in all organisms motivates better elucidation of these cellular components. Comparative genomics is a powerful tool for this task and is arguably preferable to any high-throughput experimental technology cur...
We recently witnessed a tremendous increase in genomics studies on gene regulation and in entirely sequenced genomes from closely related species. This has triggered analyses that suggest a wide range of evolutionary dynamics of gene regulation, from rapid turnover of transcription-factor binding...
Over the past decade genomic approaches have begun to revolutionise the study of animal diversity. In particular, genome sequencing programmes have spread beyond the traditional model species to encompass an increasing diversity of animals from many different phyla, as well as unicellular eukaryo...
