Dog Domestication Strongly Relied on Translation Regulation According to Differential Gene Expression Analysis.

Simple Summary: This study investigates a genetic mechanism underlying the domestication of dogs from their common ancestors with wolves. RNA sequencing data were analyzed from the blood of both dogs and wolves, including samples from Europe Asia and North America, in order to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and gene correlation networks. According to the results, 1567 DEGs, many of which were involved in translation regulation played a crucial role in dog domestication. The study highlights the importance of including diverse genetic samples in comparative analyses and enhances the understanding of the genetic basis of domestication. Domestication of dogs from their shared ancestors with wolves occurred more than 15,000 years ago and affected many characteristics of the species. We analyzed the blood RNA sequence data of 12 dogs and 11 wolves from Europe and Asia to shed more light on the domestication history of dogs. We implemented a differential gene expression analysis, a weighted gene correlation network analysis, gene ontology and genetic pathway analyses. We found that both the sample origin (Europe or Asia) and the species had a significant effect on the blood gene expression profiles of the animals. We identified 1567 differentially expressed genes between wolves and dogs and found several significantly overrepresented gene ontology terms, such as RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding or translation. We identified 11 significant gene co-expression networks, hosting a total of 4402 genes, related to DNA replication, metabolism of RNA or metabolism of proteins, for example. Our findings suggest that gene expression regulation played a cardinal role in dog domestication. We recommend further diversifying the analyzed dog and wolf populations in the future by including individuals from different dog breeds and geographical origins, in order to enhance the specificity of detecting significant, true positive genes related to domestication as well as to reduce the false positive rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]