Original research article
Analysis of Excessive Homozygous Regions in Rhodesian Ridgeback Dogs
2017, 82 (3) p. 277-280
Nora Lamac, Johann Sölkner, Gábor Mészáros
Abstract
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is an African hunter breed characterized by its dorsal fur ridge. DNA from 24 Austrian Ridgeback dogs was genotyped using 173,662 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to detect runs of homozygosity (ROH). The detected ROH regions were used to calculate individual genomic inbreeding coefficients and detect excessively homozygous regions of the genome, also known as ROH islands. These islands common in the population could be also interpreted as signatures of selection. Indeed, one of the regions harbored genes defining breed specific appearance. The ridge gene complex (FGF3, FGF4, FGF19, ORAOV1), the defining characteristic of the Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs, were detected in a ROH island on chromosome 18. Additional identified genes located within the ROH islands were HMGA2 affecting body size, MSRB3 coding for floppy ears and MSTN for muscling patterns. Numerous health related genes were identified in the homozygous regions, that are proven to play a role in dog diseases, along with other genes described only in other species.
Keywords
dog, SNP, inbreeding, run of homozygosity, selection signatures
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