Data from: Genetic structure in village dogs reveals a Central Asian domestication origin

Dogs were the first domesticated species, originating at least 15,000 y ago from Eurasian gray wolves. Dogs today consist primarily of two specialized groups—a diverse set of nearly 400 pure breeds and a far more populous group of free-ranging animals adapted to a human commensal lifestyle (village dogs). Village dogs are more genetically diverse and geographically widespread than purebred dogs making them vital for unraveling dog population history. Using a semicustom 185,805-marker genotyping array, we conducted a large-scale survey of autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y chromosome diversity in 4,676 purebred dogs from 161 breeds and 549 village dogs from 38 countries. Geographic structure shows both isolation and gene flow have shaped genetic diversity in village dog populations. Some populations (notably those in the Neotropics and the South Pacific) are almost completely derived from European stock, whereas others are clearly admixed between indigenous and European dogs. Importantly, many populations—including those of Vietnam, India, and Egypt—show minimal evidence of European admixture. These populations exhibit a clear gradient of short-range linkage disequilibrium consistent with a Central Asian domestication origin.

犬是首个被驯化的物种，其起源可追溯至至少15000年前的欧亚灰狼（Eurasian gray wolves）。现今的犬类主要分为两大特化类群：一类是涵盖近400个纯种犬品种的多样化类群，另一类则是数量更为庞大的自由活动类群——这类犬适应了与人类共生的生活方式，即乡村犬（village dogs）。相较于纯种犬，乡村犬在遗传多样性与地理分布范围上均更具优势，这使其成为解析犬类种群历史的关键研究材料。本研究使用半定制的185805个标记基因分型芯片（semicustom 185,805-marker genotyping array），对来自161个品种的4676只纯种犬，以及来自38个国家的549只乡村犬的常染色体、线粒体基因组与Y染色体多样性开展了大规模检测分析。地理结构分析显示，地理隔离与基因流共同塑造了乡村犬种群的遗传多样性。部分乡村犬种群（尤其是新热带界与南太平洋地区的种群）几乎完全源自欧洲犬群，而另一些种群则明显为本土犬与欧洲犬的混血类群。值得注意的是，包括越南、印度与埃及在内的诸多种群，几乎未表现出欧洲犬血统混入的痕迹。这类种群呈现出清晰的短程连锁不平衡梯度，这与犬类起源于中亚的驯化起源假说相符。