Data from: Selection for tameness in red junglefowl recapitulates genetic loci associated with domestication-related brain composition

Domestication involves huge phenotypic shifts via strong directional
selection. The resulting changes, often termed the Domestication Syndrome,
typically encompass numerous traits; the most universal of these are
changes in reduced fear of humans (tameness) and brain composition. To
assess how early domestication selection may have focused on tameness and
its interaction with brain composition, a Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
 population (the wild progenitor of the domestic chicken) was
used to create two lines bidirectionally selected for fear of humans over
eight generations of selection. These selection lines were then used to
make an intercross population. Using a combination of genome-wide mapping
in the intercross and between-line analysis of the selection lines, we
show that the genetic loci for tameness co-localise with genetic loci for
brain composition and anxiety behaviour. Furthermore, the detected loci
for brain composition also co-localise with brain composition loci
identified in a separate wild x domestic intercross. These results
indicate that tameness and brain composition are either pleiotropic or
genetically linked, and that tameness selection appears to recapitulate
the same loci that have been selected by domestication itself. Therefore,
selection for increased tameness could be the initial selection pressure
driving the core of the domestication syndrome.