The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet

Axelsson  E, Ratnakumar  A, Arendt  ML, Maqbool  K, Webster  MT, Perloski  M, Liberg  O, Arnemo  JM, Hedhammar  Å, Lindblad-Toh  K

doi:10.1038/nature11837

Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2013

The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet

Axelsson E, Ratnakumar A, Arendt ML, Maqbool K, Webster MT, Perloski M, Liberg O, Arnemo JM, Hedhammar Å, Lindblad-Toh K

Abstract

The domestication of dogs. was an important episode in the development of human civilization. The precise timing and location of this event is debated(1-5) and little is known about the genetic changes that accompanied the transformation of ancient wolves into domestic dogs. Here we conduct whole-genome resequencimg 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(6). 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.