Data from: Comparison of regional gene expression differences in the brains of the domestic dog and human

Comparison of the expression profiles of 2,721 genes in the cerebellum, cortex and pituitary gland of three American Staffordshire terriers, one beagle and one fox hound revealed regional expression differences in the brain but failed to reveal marked differences among breeds, or even individual dogs. Approximately 85 per cent (42 of 49 orthologue comparisons) of the regional differences in the dog are similar to those that differentiate the analogous human brain regions. A smaller percentage of human differences were replicated in the dog, particularly in the cortex, which may generally be evolving more rapidly than other brain regions in mammals. This study lays the foundation for detailed analysis of the population structure of transcriptional variation as it relates to cognitive and neurological phenotypes in the domestic dog.

对3只美国斯塔福㹴（American Staffordshire Terrier）、1只比格犬（Beagle）及1只猎狐犬（Fox Hound）的小脑、大脑皮层与垂体中2721个基因的表达谱进行比较分析，结果显示脑内存在区域特异性表达差异，但未检测到不同品种间乃至个体间的显著表达差异。犬类脑区域的表达差异中，约85%（49组直系同源基因（orthologue）比对中的42组）与人类相应脑区的差异化表达模式相似。人类脑区域的差异中仅有更低比例在犬类中得到验证，尤以大脑皮层为甚——这一现象或与哺乳动物中大脑皮层的进化速度普遍快于其他脑区有关。本研究为针对家犬中与认知及神经表型相关的转录变异群体结构开展细致分析奠定了坚实基础。