title: Revealing the history of sheep domestication using retrovirus integrations.
abstract: The domestication of livestock represented a crucial step in human history. By using endogenous retroviruses as genetic markers, we found that sheep differentiated on the basis of their "retrotype" and morphological traits dispersed across Eurasia and Africa via separate migratory episodes. Relicts of the first migrations include the Mouflon, as well as breeds previously recognized as "primitive" on the basis of their morphology, such as the Orkney, Soay, and the Nordic short-tailed sheep now confined to the periphery of northwest Europe. A later migratory episode, involving sheep with improved production traits, shaped the great majority of present-day breeds. The ability to differentiate genetically primitive sheep from more modern breeds provides valuable insights into the history of sheep domestication.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chessa
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arnaud
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Goyache
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mainland
authors.forename: Rowland R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Josephine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pemberton
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beraldi
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stear
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pittau
authors.forename: Leopoldo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iannuzzi
authors.forename: Mohammad H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Banabazi
authors.forename: Rudovick R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kazwala
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Arranz
authors.forename: Bahy A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Zhiliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Metehan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uzun
authors.forename: Michel M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dione
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olsaker
authors.forename: Lars-Erik
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Urmas
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Saarma
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Nurbiy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marzanov
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eythorsdottir
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ajmone-Marsan
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Bruford
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kantanen
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palmarini
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000266:history*; D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D049690:History, Ancient; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D012756:Sheep / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D016662:Virus Integration
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA