Revealing the History of Sheep Domestication Using Retrovirus Integrations

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

Bernardo Chessa (Author) Other; Filipe Pereira (Author) FCUP; Frederick Arnaud (Author) Other; Antonio Amorim (Author) FCUP; Felix Goyache (Author) Other; Ingrid Mainland (Author) Other; Rowland R Kao (Author) Other; Josephine M Pemberton (Author) Other; Dario Beraldi (Author) Other; Michael J Stear (Author) Other; Alberto Alberti (Author) Other; Marco Pittau (Author) Other; Leopoldo Iannuzzi (Author) Other; Mohammad H Banabazi (Author) Other; Rudovick R Kazwala (Author) Other; Ya ping Zhang (Author) Other; Juan J Arranz (Author) Other; Bahy A Ali (Author) Other; Zhiliang L Wang (Author) Other; Metehan Uzun (Author) Other; Michel M Dione (Author) Other; Ingrid Olsaker (Author) Other; Lars Erik Holm (Author) Other; Urmas Saarma (Author) Other; Sohail Ahmad (Author) Other; Nurbiy Marzanov (Author) Other; Emma Eythorsdottir (Author) Other; Martin J Holland (Author) Other; Paolo Ajmone Marsan (Author) Other; Michael W Bruford (Author) Other; Juha Kantanen (Author) Other; Thomas E Spencer (Author) Other; Massimo Palmarini (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Science

Vol. 324

Pages: 532-536

ISSN: 0036-8075

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 278 Citations

Scopus - 296 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-KR1

DOI: 10.1126/science.1170587

Abstract (EN): 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.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5