Red fox genome assembly identifies genomic regions associated with tame and aggressive behaviours

Authors

• Anna V. Kukekova, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Jennifer L. Johnson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Xueyan Xiang, China National Genebank
• Shaohong Feng, China National Genebank
• Shiping Liu, China National Genebank
• Halie M. Rando, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Anastasiya V. Kharlamova, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Yury Herbeck, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Natalya A. Serdyukova, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS
• Zijun Xiong, China National Genebank
• Violetta Beklemischeva, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS
• Klaus Peter Koepfli, National Zoological Park
• Rimma G. Gulevich, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Anastasiya V. Vladimirova, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Jessica P. Hekman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Polina L. Perelman, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS
• Aleksander S. Graphodatsky, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS
• Stephen J. O’Brien, Saint Petersburg State UniversityFollow
• Xu Wang, Cornell University
• Andrew G. Clark, Cornell University
• Gregory M. Acland, Cornell University
• Lyudmila N. Trut, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Guojie Zhang, China National Genebank

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Nature Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

2397334X

Publication Date

9-1-2018

Abstract

Strains of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with markedly different behavioural phenotypes have been developed in the famous long-term selective breeding programme known as the Russian farm-fox experiment. Here we sequenced and assembled the red fox genome and re-sequenced a subset of foxes from the tame, aggressive and conventional farm-bred populations to identify genomic regions associated with the response to selection for behaviour. Analysis of the re-sequenced genomes identified 103 regions with either significantly decreased heterozygosity in one of the three populations or increased divergence between the populations. A strong positional candidate gene for tame behaviour was highlighted: SorCS1, which encodes the main trafficking protein for AMPA glutamate receptors and neurexins and suggests a role for synaptic plasticity in fox domestication. Other regions identified as likely to have been under selection in foxes include genes implicated in human neurological disorders, mouse behaviour and dog domestication. The fox represents a powerful model for the genetic analysis of affiliative and aggressive behaviours that can benefit genetic studies of behaviour in dogs and other mammals, including humans.

DOI

10.1038/s41559-018-0611-6

Volume

2

Issue

9

First Page

1479

Last Page

1491

NSUWorks Citation

Kukekova, Anna V.; Jennifer L. Johnson; Xueyan Xiang; Shaohong Feng; Shiping Liu; Halie M. Rando; Anastasiya V. Kharlamova; Yury Herbeck; Natalya A. Serdyukova; Zijun Xiong; Violetta Beklemischeva; Klaus Peter Koepfli; Rimma G. Gulevich; Anastasiya V. Vladimirova; Jessica P. Hekman; Polina L. Perelman; Aleksander S. Graphodatsky; Stephen J. O’Brien; Xu Wang; Andrew G. Clark; Gregory M. Acland; Lyudmila N. Trut; and Guojie Zhang. 2018. "Red fox genome assembly identifies genomic regions associated with tame and aggressive behaviours." Nature Ecology and Evolution 2, (9): 1479-1491. doi:10.1038/s41559-018-0611-6.