Wolves Are Canine Kissing Cousins

That wiggly puppy pestering its owner for a chew toy may not look much like its wolf ancestors, but genetic research on our canine companions shows many have more in common with White Fang than some people might think.

Like humans, dogs have about 99 percent of their genes in common with one another. But a few very distinct genetic differences separate them into some 400 breeds known worldwide.

Researchers who compared dog genes to wolves found that a group of ancient dog types split off first. Later, the majority of canines evolved into three other clusters of dog variants - hunters, herders and guard dogs - largely as a result of breeding programs developed over the past couple of hundred years.

Among those closest to their wild wolf ancestors are the Siberian husky, Chinese Shar-Pei and African basenji.

"One of the most interesting questions still to understand ... is why did the wolf keep locked in its genome everything that was necessary to make a Pekingese to a Great Dane," said Elaine A. Ostrander of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Ostrander, a co-author of the study in Thursday's issue of the journal Science, said dogs share the human environment and diseases, so learning more about their genetic development also can shed light on human diseases.

Human families are too small and "it's often difficult to get samples from more than one or two generations, whereas dog families are huge ... and you can get DNA for two, three, four generations," she said. "That gives you enormous statistical power for understanding the genetics."

In the process, scientists learned some interesting things about dogs.

For example, at least two breeds long thought to be ancient, the Ibizan hound and Pharaoh hound, were found not to be so old after all. Because of their resemblance to dogs depicted on ancient Egyptian tombs, they had been considered among the oldest of breeds. However, their genes indicate these breeds had died out and have been redeveloped in more recent times, the researchers said.

Two separate breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club - Belgian Tervuren and Belgian sheepdog - turned out to be genetically identical.

According to co-author Leonid Kruglyak of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Seattle, the study found that while dogs have much in common, the 1 percent of their genes that determine different breeds are genetically quite distinct.

"These differences are so distinct that we could just feed a dog's genetic pattern into the database, and the computer could match it to a breed," said Kruglyak.

That was surprising because most of the breeds were genetically isolated only in the 19th century, with the advent of breed clubs and breed standards, he said.

Two branches of the canine family tree were the earliest to diverge from the wolves, the study found.

One branch includes the oriental breeds Shar-Pei, Shiba Inu, chow chow and Akita; the other includes the seemingly diverse breeds of African basenji, Siberian husky, Alaskan malamute, Afghan hound and Saluki.

In addition to these ancient dogs, three other groups were developed later, including canines for guarding, herding and hunting.

Of 85 breeds tested, only four failed to show consistent sets of genes in common. They were the perro de Presa Canario, German shorthaired pointer, Australian shepherd and Chihuahua.

In addition to the virtually identical genetics of Belgian sheepdog and Belgian Tervuren, the study also showed five pairs of breeds with very similar genetics: Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky, collie and Shetland sheepdog, greyhound and whippet, Bernese mountain dog and greater Swiss mountain dog, and bull mastiff and mastiff.

Patti Strand, an American Kennel Club board member, hailed the study as "monumental."

"Being able to utilize the new findings of molecular genetics greatly enhances our ability to ensure longer, happier lives for all dogs, whether mixes or breeds," she said.

Diane Vasey, director of development for the AKC Canine Health Foundation, said the research will help people who own dogs of unknown origin determine their pet's lineage or heritage as well as help veterinarians deal with genetic disorders associated with certain breeds.

Vasey and Strand were not part of the research team, though the AKC helped the researchers obtain DNA samples.

By Randolph E. Schmid