Unlocking canine secrets: 2,000 genomes for breakthrough translational research

An international research consortium has unleashed a genetic revolution with the analysis of 2,000 canine genomes. This advanced genetics toolkit is a game-changer for tackling complex questions across dog domestication, breed differences, behavior, disease susceptibility, and genome evolution. The groundbreaking study, featured in Genome Biology, introduces this invaluable resource and presents groundbreaking findings.

This achievement stands as the pinnacle of collaboration within the Dog10K consortium, comprising 48 scientists from 25 institutions. Their combined dedication and resource contribution have fueled this monumental analytical endeavor.

"The ambition was to create a resource accessible to the global community, expediting their research in fields ranging from dog-wolf ancestry to cancer treatment. All these paths hold promise, and the Dog10K database can fuel them all," states Jennifer Meadows, lead co-author and research scientist at Uppsala University.

The strength of the Dog10K project lies in its comprehensive representation of genetic diversity. More than 320 recognized pedigree dog breeds, along with village dogs, wolves, and coyotes, contribute to this extensive genetic pool.

The study yields:

• A comprehensive catalog of single nucleotide variants, some of which disrupt protein coding genes, impacting appearance and physiology extremes. Intriguingly, some variants causing protein function loss don't lead to apparent disease in the sampled population.
• A catalog of structural variants, larger than single nucleotide variants and occasionally impacting protein coding genes. These variants, despite affecting protein production, didn't manifest as disease in the pedigree population.
• Insight into the distribution of variants within and between pedigree dog breeds, influencing potential drug therapy research.
• Publicly accessible data processing pipelines, facilitating seamless integration of data from diverse studies.
• An imputation panel enabling researchers to infer variation at unmeasured sites, significantly expanding dataset utility.

Jennifer Meadows asserts, "The data's potential has only been scratched. There's untapped genetic diversity in dogs, wolves, and coyotes, and we anticipate the scientific community's innovative application of our initial findings."