Revealing the history of sheep domestication using retrovirus integrations.
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.
Chessa
Bernardo
B
Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK.
Pereira
Filipe
F
Arnaud
Frederick
F
Amorim
Antonio
A
Goyache
Félix
F
Mainland
Ingrid
I
Kao
Rowland R
RR
Pemberton
Josephine M
JM
Beraldi
Dario
D
Stear
Michael J
MJ
Alberti
Alberto
A
Pittau
Marco
M
Iannuzzi
Leopoldo
L
Banabazi
Mohammad H
MH
Kazwala
Rudovick R
RR
Zhang
Ya-Ping
YP
Arranz
Juan J
JJ
Ali
Bahy A
BA
Wang
Zhiliang
Z
Uzun
Metehan
M
Dione
Michel M
MM
Olsaker
Ingrid
I
Holm
Lars-Erik
LE
Saarma
Urmas
U
Ahmad
Sohail
S
Marzanov
Nurbiy
N
Eythorsdottir
Emma
E
Holland
Martin J
MJ
Ajmone-Marsan
Paolo
P
Bruford
Michael W
MW
Kantanen
Juha
J
Spencer
Thomas E
TE
Palmarini
Massimo
M
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
D005819:Genetic Markers; D004247:DNA