State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-resource in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China.
Nat Commun. 2020 Feb 3;11(1):671. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14515-6.
Dingoes are wild canids living in Australia, originating from domestic dogs. They have lived isolated from both the wild and the domestic ancestor, making them a unique model for studying feralization. Here, we sequence the genomes of 10 dingoes and 2 New Guinea Singing Dogs. Phylogenetic and demographic analyses show that dingoes originate from dogs in southern East Asia, which migrated via Island Southeast Asia to reach Australia around 8300 years ago, and subsequently diverged into a genetically distinct population. Selection analysis identifies 50 positively selected genes enriched in digestion and metabolism, indicating a diet change during feralization of dingoes. Thirteen of these genes have shifted allele frequencies compared to dogs but not compared to wolves. Functional assays show that an A-to-G mutation in ARHGEF7 decreases the endogenous expression, suggesting behavioral adaptations related to the transitions in environment. Our results indicate that the feralization of the dingo induced positive selection on genomic regions correlated to neurodevelopment, metabolism and reproduction, in adaptation to a wild environment.
野犬是生活在澳大利亚的野生犬科动物，起源于家犬。它们与野生祖先和家养祖先都隔绝生活，这使它们成为研究野化的独特模型。在这里，我们对 10 只野犬和 2 只新几内亚歌唱犬进行了基因组测序。系统发育和人口分析表明，野犬起源于东亚南部的犬类，它们通过东南亚岛屿迁徙到澳大利亚，大约在 8300 年前到达澳大利亚，随后分化成一个具有遗传差异的种群。选择分析确定了 50 个在消化和代谢中受到正选择的基因，表明野犬在野化过程中饮食发生了变化。与犬类相比，其中 13 个基因的等位基因频率发生了变化，但与狼相比没有变化。功能分析表明，ARHGEF7 中的 A 到 G 突变降低了内源性表达，表明与环境转变相关的行为适应。我们的研究结果表明，野犬的野化在与神经发育、代谢和繁殖相关的基因组区域诱导了正选择，以适应野生环境。
