Diversity in chemosensory receptor genes in dogs and wolves: degeneration of the olfactory receptor gene repertoire in the brachycephalic Pug.

ABSTRACT: Dogs, domesticated from gray wolves over 15,000 yr ago, exhibit extensive variation among breeds, including differences in olfactory ability. To investigate the genetic basis of these differences, we analyzed single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 3 chemosensory receptor gene families-olfactory receptors (ORs), vomeronasal receptors type 1 (V1Rs), and bitter taste receptors (T2Rs)-using whole-genome data from the Dog Biomedical Variant Database Consortium, which includes 635 domestic dogs representing 121 breeds and 8 wolves. We identified 179 segregating pseudogenes in OR genes (minor allele frequency > 1%), including cases where intact genes are pseudogenized in some individuals and vice versa. The number of functional OR genes varied substantially among individuals (779 to 807), while V1R

SUBMITTER: Inoue H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12703715 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature