Research Team of Guodong Wang Reveals the Genetic Origin and Breeding History of Modern Nordic Dog Breeds Using Museum Samples
Due to the extinction of the founding populations, there has been limited research on the origin and extreme morphological evolution of modern dog breeds. In this study, we analyzed eight dog fur samples, obtained 100-200 years ago from traditional garments in northern Sweden, to explore the origin and artificial selection of the modern Nordic Lapphund and Elkhound breeds.
Our research team, in collaboration with Professor Peter Savolainen's team from KTH University in Sweden, extracted ancient DNA (aDNA) from eight garments made from dog pelts, dating back approximately 100-200 years, which were kept in museums in the Lapland region of northern Europe. After obtaining whole-genome data using next-generation sequencing technology, we conducted phylogenetic analysis based on SNPs with several global dog breeds, confirming that several Nordic fox-type breeds (such as the Finnish Lapphund and Norwegian Elkhound) originated from the Nordic "native dogs" represented by these eight pelt samples. Additionally, outgroup-f3 analysis showed that their ancestors migrated from the European continent. Furthermore, gene flow analysis revealed that these Nordic "native dogs" represented by the eight pelt samples shared significant genetic exchange with European wolves. Subsequently, through selection signal analysis, we discovered that, during the breed development process, the MSRB3 gene related to ear shape underwent strong artificial selection, correlating highly with the erect ear shape defined in their breed standards. Finally, through collaboration with Professor Lu Wang's research team from Yunnan University, functional experiments in cell and molecular biology revealed that the MSRB3 gene regulates expression via miRNA binding to the 3' UTR region, ultimately affecting the genetic mechanism of erect ears in domestic dogs.
The related paper, "Historic dog furs unravel the origin and artificial selection of modern Nordic Lapphund and Elkhound dog breeds," was published in *Molecular Biology and Evolution* on June 6th. Assistant Researcher Shizhi Wang (currently at Yunnan Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine) and Master's student Yu Yan from Yunnan University are co-first authors. Researcher Guodong Wang from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Professor Peter Savolainen from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, are corresponding authors. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, the National Key R&D Program, the Science and Technology Innovation-2030, and the Spring City Plan, among other projects.
