Dog breeds differ only in one gene

What is the similarity between a big German dog and a tiny dog ​​like Yorkshire? They look very different, however, led by research by American geneticist Nate Sutter of Bethesda Institute for Human Genetics, only one gene can explain the difference in this size.

All dogs belong to the same species of Canis familiaris . All dogs belong to the same species of Canis familiaris, but according to the passage of time, humans created different breeds of dogs. Thanks to these similar groups, researchers can find a gene mutation that is easier than in humans.

To understand the origin of the size differences between dogs, Sutter and his colleagues began to study differences in dogs and Castro de Laboreiro breeds, also known as Portuguese shepherd dogs.

The researchers made it from last year a very precise genetic map of the breed. Among the rare differences found between small dogs and large dogs, there are genes called Igf-1 (insulin like growth factor). This gene is known to alter the size of rats.

They then observed the activity of the Igf-1 gene in other breeds and wild dogs. Researchers have found that in virtually all small breeds the same gene version in the Portuguese bovine dog is small, while it is not present in large breeds.

People may have selected this version of Igf-1 gene when starting to breed small dogs. Thanks to the dog gene map, researchers hope to identify other genetic changes related to common human and dog diseases.

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