Transposons in the Williams-Beuren Syndrome Critical Region are Associated with Social Behavior in Assistance Dogs.

Autor: Gnanadesikan GE; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA. gnanadesikan@emory.edu.; Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA. gnanadesikan@emory.edu.; Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA. gnanadesikan@emory.edu., Tandon D; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA., Bray EE; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.; Canine Companions for Independence, National Headquarters, Santa Rosa, CA, 95402, USA.; College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, 85737, USA.; Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA., Kennedy BS; Canine Companions for Independence, National Headquarters, Santa Rosa, CA, 95402, USA., Tennenbaum SR; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA., MacLean EL; School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.; Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.; College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Oro Valley, AZ, 85737, USA.; Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA., vonHoldt BM; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Behavior genetics [Behav Genet] 2024 Mar; Vol. 54 (2), pp. 196-211. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 13.
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10166-7
Abstrakt: A strong signature of selection in the domestic dog genome is found in a five-megabase region of chromosome six in which four structural variants derived from transposons have previously been associated with human-oriented social behavior, such as attentional bias to social stimuli and social interest in strangers. To explore these genetic associations in more phenotypic detail-as well as their role in training success in a specialized assistance dog program-we genotyped 1001 assistance dogs from Canine Companions for Independence®, including both successful graduates and dogs released from the training program for behaviors incompatible with their working role. We collected phenotypes on each dog using puppy-raiser questionnaires, trainer questionnaires, and both cognitive and behavioral tests. Using Bayesian mixed models, we found strong associations (95% credibility intervals excluding zero) between genotypes and certain behavioral measures, including separation-related problems, aggression when challenged or corrected, and reactivity to other dogs. Furthermore, we found moderate differences in the genotypes of dogs who graduated versus those who did not; insertions in GTF2I showed the strongest association with training success (β = 0.23, CI 95% = - 0.04, 0.49), translating to an odds-ratio of 1.25 for one insertion. Our results provide insight into the role of each of these four transposons in canine sociability and may inform breeding and training practices for working dog organizations. Furthermore, the observed importance of the gene GTF2I supports the emerging consensus that variation in GTF2I genotypes and expression have important consequences for social behavior broadly.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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