Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, 75237 Uppsala, Sweden.
Nature. 2013 Mar 21;495(7441):360-4. doi: 10.1038/nature11837. Epub 2013 Jan 23.
The domestication of dogs was an important episode in the development of human civilization. The precise timing and location of this event is debated and little is known about the genetic changes that accompanied the transformation of ancient wolves into domestic dogs. Here we conduct whole-genome resequencing of dogs and wolves to identify 3.8 million genetic variants used to identify 36 genomic regions that probably represent targets for selection during dog domestication. Nineteen of these regions contain genes important in brain function, eight of which belong to nervous system development pathways and potentially underlie behavioural changes central to dog domestication. Ten genes with key roles in starch digestion and fat metabolism also show signals of selection. We identify candidate mutations in key genes and provide functional support for an increased starch digestion in dogs relative to wolves. Our results indicate that novel adaptations allowing the early ancestors of modern dogs to thrive on a diet rich in starch, relative to the carnivorous diet of wolves, constituted a crucial step in the early domestication of dogs.
狗的驯化是人类文明发展的一个重要阶段。这一事件的确切时间和地点仍存在争议，而对于伴随着古代狼向家犬转变的遗传变化知之甚少。在这里，我们对狗和狼进行了全基因组重测序，以鉴定 380 万个遗传变异，这些变异用于鉴定 36 个可能代表犬类驯化过程中选择目标的基因组区域。其中 19 个区域包含与大脑功能相关的重要基因，其中 8 个属于神经系统发育途径，可能是犬类驯化过程中关键行为变化的基础。在淀粉消化和脂肪代谢中起关键作用的 10 个基因也显示出选择的信号。我们在关键基因中鉴定出候选突变，并为狗相对于狼具有更强的淀粉消化能力提供了功能支持。我们的研究结果表明，允许现代犬类的早期祖先在富含淀粉的饮食中茁壮成长的新适应能力，相对于狼的肉食性饮食，是犬类早期驯化过程中的一个关键步骤。
