A Dogs Eye View of Morphological Diversity 英文参考文献.docVIP

Synopsis ADog’sEyeViewofMorphologicalDiversity LizaGross* SeniorScienceWriter/Editor,PublicLibraryofScience,SanFrancisco,California,UnitedStatesofAmerica Thehistoryofgeneticdiscoveryoffersa lessonininspiredchoices.Mendelpriedthe principles of inheritance from the seeds, pods, and flowers of pea plants. Morgan linkedtraitinheritancetospecificchromo- somesaftertheunexpectedappearanceofa white-eyed fly among the red-eyed multi- tudes.McClintockshowedthatgenescould change position on a chromosome by charting the idiosyncrasies of every leaf andkernelofherbelovedmaizeplants. AndnowElaineOstrander,whoadmits asenseof‘‘awe’’and‘‘marvel’’atherpet organism, the domestic dog, has found that some complex traits may not have such a complex genetic basis after all. WorkingwithlongtimecollaboratorsCar- los Bustamante and Robert Wayne, Os- trander and her colleagues report that complextraitslikebodysizeandcoatcolor may fall under the control of surprisingly fewgenes. Early on, Ostrander recognized the dog’s potential to undercover the genetic basis of complex traits. Morgan’s white- eyed flies arose from a single-gene muta- tion, but most traits spring from more complexgeneticinteractions.Complex(or quantitative)traitsarecontrolledbymore than one gene, in combination with environmentalfactors,andvarybydegree, with snout, for example, ranging from recessedtoelongated. Pure-bred dogs, with their storied his- tory of intensive breeding for humans’ prodigious preferences, offer geneticists a unique opportunity to linkvariationsata given spot in the genome (the genotype) withthephysicalexpression(phenotype)of complextraits.Fromthepunypug’ssnub nosetotheregalcollie’sprominentsnout, the squat corgi’s stubby legs to the sleek saluki’swillowylimbs,thehairlesschihua- hua’s nervous reserve to the dreadlocked komondor’s fearless courage, no other land mammal approaches the dog’s phe- notypicdiversity.Breedersmaintainthese archetypes by selecting for nearly every facetofadog’sbeing,leavi