Dillon Megan N, Thomas Rachael, Mousseau Timothy A, Betz Jennifer A, Kleiman Norman J, Reiskind Martha O Burford, Breen Matthew
Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Canine Med Genet. 2023 Mar 8;10(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s40575-023-00124-1.
Natural and anthropogenic disasters can have long-lasting impacts on the genetics and structure of impacted populations. The 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster led to extensive contamination of the local environment and the wildlife therein. Several ecological, environmental, and genetic studies reported various effects of this disaster on animal, insect, and plant species; however, little work has been done to investigate the genetics of the free-breeding dogs that occupy the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ).
We define the population genetic structure of two groups of dogs that reside within the CEZ, one around the reactor site itself and another living within Chernobyl City. We found little evidence of gene flow and a significant degree of genetic differentiation between the two populations dogs, suggesting that these are two distinct populations despite occupying areas located just 16 km apart. With an F-based outlier analysis, we then performed a genome-wide scan for evidence of directional selection within the dog populations. We found 391 outlier loci associated with genomic regions influenced by directional selection, from which we identified 52 candidate genes.
Our genome scan highlighted outlier loci within or near genomic regions under directional selection, possibly in response to the multi-generational exposure faced. In defining the population structure and identifying candidate genes for these dog populations, we take steps towards understanding how these types of prolonged exposures have impacted these populations.
自然和人为灾害会对受影响人群的基因和结构产生长期影响。1986年的切尔诺贝利核电站灾难导致当地环境及其中的野生动物受到广泛污染。多项生态、环境和基因研究报告了这场灾难对动物、昆虫和植物物种的各种影响；然而，对于切尔诺贝利禁区（CEZ）内自由繁殖的狗的遗传学研究却很少。
我们确定了居住在CEZ内的两组狗的群体遗传结构，一组在反应堆 site本身周围，另一组生活在切尔诺贝利市。我们发现几乎没有基因流动的证据，且两组狗之间存在显著程度的遗传分化，这表明尽管它们所处区域仅相距16公里，但这是两个不同的群体。通过基于F的异常值分析，我们随后在狗群体中进行了全基因组扫描，以寻找定向选择的证据。我们发现391个与受定向选择影响的基因组区域相关的异常位点，从中鉴定出52个候选基因。
我们的基因组扫描突出了定向选择下基因组区域内或附近的异常位点，这可能是对所面临的多代暴露的一种反应。在确定这些狗群体的群体结构并识别候选基因时，我们朝着理解这类长期暴露如何影响这些群体迈出了步伐。
