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Little Dogs Get their Little Legs from Wolves
aip ^ | July 16, 2009 | Devin Powell

Posted on 07/17/2009 3:45:53 PM PDT by JoeProBono

WASHINGTON -- Heidi Parker chose her pet basset hound "Stormy" because short-legged basset hounds have a reputation for being comfortable, cuddly couch potatoes. Now Parker -- a geneticist by trade -- has figured out why these and some other small dogs have such stumpy legs. Their DNA contains two copies of a gene that most dogs only have one of -- the second copy is an old version of a gene borrowed from wolves.

Normally, this gene turns on when a dog is growing in the womb to make a molecule called a growth factor that guides the proper formation of limbs and paws. But two copies give the developing dog a double dose that shuts down cartilage growth at the tips of limbs.

Basset hounds belong to a group of more than a dozen types of dogs deliberately bred to have these disproportionate legs, according to standards set out by the American Kennel Club. The short legs of dachshunds, corgis, and Pekingese are considered ideal for the way people once used these dogs. "The dachshund was bred to hunt badgers and go down holes," said American Kennel Club spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "You're going to need a short-legged dog to get into the holes."

When Parker and colleagues at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, MD, went looking for gene responsible for little legs across all these breeds, they expected to find a "point mutation," a small change in the DNA sequence.

Mutations are the standard way that evolution produces new shapes and sizes and also the driving force behind the breeding of domestic animals. "Breeders have dipped into the toolkit of mutation when they cross individuals to get a specific trait," said Robert Wayne, a member of Parker's team and an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

But instead of finding a change within a gene, the scientists discovered the doubled gene. "We found a new gene, a perfect copy of another gene," said Parker. "This 'retrogene' was a big surprise."

Retrogenes are usually thought to be pieces of genetic garbage that have no function. This leftover wolf gene, which copied itself sometime between 300 and 30,000 years ago, is the first example of a retrogene known to have changed a mammal's anatomy.

"This is pretty fantastic … something that affects our view of evolution," said Gordon Lark, a geneticist who studies dogs at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He suspects that other scientists will start looking for copied genes in the evolutionary history of other animals, both domestic and wild.


TOPICS: Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: dog; godsgravesglyphs; science
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1 posted on 07/17/2009 3:45:53 PM PDT by JoeProBono
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To: All

2 posted on 07/17/2009 3:47:21 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: All

3 posted on 07/17/2009 3:50:45 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

When I look at my tiny dog, it’s hard to imagine her wolf ancestor. And yet, that is the case.


4 posted on 07/17/2009 3:53:06 PM PDT by mysterio
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To: mysterio

wolf dog hybrid puppy


5 posted on 07/17/2009 3:58:00 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: All

6 posted on 07/17/2009 4:01:11 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

I have a Basset Hound and I just love him to pieces. Never thought I’d like the breed, but I won him in a poker game, so I was stuck with him, LOL!

I look down at him sometimes, ruffle his GORGEOUS ears and say, “Rufus! God put your paws on sideways!” So now I know why he’s such a stub. ;)

Amazingly, he’s not much of a digger, but he goes for long walks with me; he’s not a total couch potato.

We also had a black & tan dachshund when I was a kid. Nice dog; very obedient, very protective of us kids.


7 posted on 07/17/2009 4:04:24 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

8 posted on 07/17/2009 4:06:02 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

9 posted on 07/17/2009 4:11:20 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

LOL! Disco Weiner!


10 posted on 07/17/2009 4:19:55 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: All

11 posted on 07/17/2009 4:20:48 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: MizSterious; Kokojmudd; brytlea; Darnright; Sensei Ern; sangrila; rattrap; dervish; sandalwood; ...

Woof


12 posted on 07/17/2009 4:25:02 PM PDT by kanawa
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To: JoeProBono
I hate to argue with the author, but when it comes to dogs in the last 5,000 years, there's not much evolutionary about them unless they're feral and have been for the entire time. No other species has been as manipulated for human use. Short legs are a mutation, yes, but a trait for which specific breeds were developed, just like the higher hindquarters my dear and darling Havaneses have and the spectacular nose their predecessor, a yellow lab, had. Dogs are bred for personality and functionality traits and not much is left to chance. Well, unless a careless breeder leaves the gate open.
13 posted on 07/17/2009 4:33:26 PM PDT by Desdemona (True Christianity requires open hearts and open minds - not blind hatred.)
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To: kanawa

Thanks!

Although I’m mostly partial to Rotts, I have had Bassets in the past. Great dogs too!


14 posted on 07/17/2009 5:49:25 PM PDT by rottndog (WOOF!)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
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To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

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15 posted on 07/17/2009 7:19:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: Girlene

“and six small dogs...”

Oh, the humanity. :-)


16 posted on 07/17/2009 7:25:09 PM PDT by bigheadfred (NEGROMANCER!!!! Run for your LIVES!!!)
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To: JoeProBono
My short-legged mutt certainly *thinks* she's a wolf: small dog with a big attitude. She is a good digger. Actually, it's quite amazing to watch her go after moles in the yard. She's very efficient. Her digging method naturally fills in her trail when she digs horizontally, too. Now, if I can just get her to replace her divits when she goes vertical....
17 posted on 07/17/2009 8:12:34 PM PDT by FourPeas (Why does Professor Presbury's wolfhound, Roy, endeavour to bite him?)
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To: FourPeas

18 posted on 07/17/2009 8:17:00 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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To: JoeProBono

Yup, that looks a lot like her ‘cept she’s all brown and her tail isn’t bobbed.


19 posted on 07/17/2009 8:21:12 PM PDT by FourPeas (Why does Professor Presbury's wolfhound, Roy, endeavour to bite him?)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

My mom and stepdad have a basset named Fred and that dog is like a rock star. Every where they go, people are always hugging on him, kissing him. It’s insane. My 2 year old loves to use him as a pillow and she loves to hear him bark. Makes her giggle hysterically.


20 posted on 07/17/2009 8:23:45 PM PDT by constitutiongirl ("Duty is ours. Consequences are God's."- General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson)
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