美国国立卫生研究院Elaine A. Ostrander小组发现，家犬血统揭示行为多样化的遗传驱动因素。2022年12月8日出版的《细胞》杂志发表了这项成果。

研究人员利用4000多只家养、半野生和野生犬类的遗传数据和46000多只狗的行为调查数据，建立了一个理解品种和定义它们的行为之间关系的框架，从而克服了识别犬类行为遗传驱动因素的长期困难。研究人员确定了10个主要的犬类遗传品系及其行为相关性，并表明品种多样化主要是由非编码调节变异驱动的。研究人员确定，与品系相关的基因在神经发育的共同表达网络中趋于一致，并确定了与牧羊犬相关的轴突引导功能的富集。这项工作为犬类的多样化提供了一个支架，使家犬成为揭示行为多样性遗传起源的一个无与伦比的系统。

据介绍，家犬的选择性繁殖产生了不同的品种，这些品种通常是为执行专门任务而优化的。尽管品种典型的行为特征具有遗传性，但由于犬类种群结构的复杂性，识别因果位点已被证明具有挑战性。

附：英文原文

Title: Domestic dog lineages reveal genetic drivers of behavioral diversification

Author: Emily V. Dutrow, James A. Serpell, Elaine A. Ostrander

Issue&Volume: 2022/12/08

Abstract: Selective breeding of domestic dogs has generated diverse breeds often optimized for performing specialized tasks. Despite the heritability of breed-typical behavioral traits, identification of causal loci has proven challenging due to the complexity of canine population structure. We overcome longstanding difficulties in identifying genetic drivers of canine behavior by developing a framework for understanding relationships between breeds and the behaviors that define them, utilizing genetic data for over 4,000 domestic, semi-feral, and wild canids and behavioral survey data for over 46,000 dogs. We identify ten major canine genetic lineages and their behavioral correlates and show that breed diversification is predominantly driven by non-coding regulatory variation. We determine that lineage-associated genes converge in neurodevelopmental co-expression networks, identifying a sheepdog-associated enrichment for interrelated axon guidance functions. This work presents a scaffold for canine diversification that positions the domestic dog as an unparalleled system for revealing the genetic origins of behavioral diversity.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.003

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01379-4