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The Fox Domestication Experiment and Dog Evolution: A View Based on Modern Molecular, Genetic, and Archaeological Data

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Abstract

Animal and plant domestication is one of the most remarkable cultural achievements in human evolution. The first animal to have been domesticated was the dog. Although related studies are many, little is known about the earliest times of its domestication. This review emphasizes that there are parallels in behavior change and its molecular genetic basis between domesticated foxes and dogs, with a special focus on the so-called “ancient” breeds. Three approaches to the study of the molecular genetic mechanisms of domestication are described and some of their results obtained with modern methods, including high-throughput sequencing, are given. One involves the experimental modeling of early domestication stages in the fox, a farmed animal; another, a comparative analysis of modern dogs and wolves; and yet another, a paleogenetic analysis of ancient dogs and wolves, with an account of their archaeological context. Phylogenetic and phylogeographical approaches to the study of dog domestication and their role in a comprehensive reconstruction of domestication mechanisms are discussed. Difficulties with timing estimates, the geographic position and the reconstruction of molecular mechanisms for dog domestication are considered in the context of sampling strategies for genomic analysis. Genes encoding the signaling system of glutamate receptors and neural crest cells, with their broad pleiotropic effect, are discussed as being the most important targets of selection in experimental and historical domestication. In conclusion, the need of supplementing the studies of domestication mechanisms with analyses of various developmental stages at the molecular and organismal levels is highlighted.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are thankful to A.V. Vladimirova, L.V. Meister, L.N. Antimoniy and T.V. Pivovarova of the Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS, for their assistance in preparing this manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research under scientific program no. 19-14-50414.

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  1. Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia

    L. N. Trut, A. V. Kharlamova, A. S. Pilipenko & Yu. E. Herbeck

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Trut, L.N., Kharlamova, A.V., Pilipenko, A.S. et al. The Fox Domestication Experiment and Dog Evolution: A View Based on Modern Molecular, Genetic, and Archaeological Data. Russ J Genet 57, 778–794 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1022795421070140

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