FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Science / Ancient genomic changes associated with domestication of the...
Science (New York, N.Y.)2017; 356(6336); 442-445; doi: 10.1126/science.aam5298

Ancient genomic changes associated with domestication of the horse.

Abstract: The genomic changes underlying both early and late stages of horse domestication remain largely unknown. We examined the genomes of 14 early domestic horses from the Bronze and Iron Ages, dating to between ~4.1 and 2.3 thousand years before present. We find early domestication selection patterns supporting the neural crest hypothesis, which provides a unified developmental origin for common domestic traits. Within the past 2.3 thousand years, horses lost genetic diversity and archaic DNA tracts introgressed from a now-extinct lineage. They accumulated deleterious mutations later than expected under the cost-of-domestication hypothesis, probably because of breeding from limited numbers of stallions. We also reveal that Iron Age Scythian steppe nomads implemented breeding strategies involving no detectable inbreeding and selection for coat-color variation and robust forelimbs.
Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2017-04-30 PubMed ID: 28450643DOI: 10.1126/science.aam5298Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research explores the genomic changes related to the domestication of horses, spanning from roughly 4,100 to 2,300 years ago. The study identified patterns in early domestication that support the neural crest hypothesis and found that horses lost genetic diversity and accumulated harmful mutations likely due to breeding from a limited number of stallions.

Objective and Methodology

  • The study aimed to understand the genomic changes associated with horse domestication, particularly during the early and late stages.
  • Researchers examined the genomes of 14 early domestic horses from the Bronze and Iron Ages, dating from approximately 4.1 to 2.3 thousand years ago.

Findings and Implications

  • The study found patterns in early horse domestication that reinforce the neural crest hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes a common developmental origin for domestic characteristics in animals, suggesting that gene changes related to the neural crest – a group of cells in developing embryos – greatly influenced the traits seen in domesticated horses.
  • In the last 2.3 thousand years, horses lost genetic diversity and gained archaic DNA tracts from an extinct lineage. Horses also accumulated harmful mutations rather late in the domestication process. This late accumulation of harmful mutations does not align with the norm expected under the cost-of-domestication hypothesis. The surprising sequence of these genetic events could be attributed to the practice of breeding from a limited pool of stallions, concentrating the prevalence of any deleterious mutations they carried.
  • The research also revealed that Iron Age Scythian nomads practiced breeding strategies that avoided detectable inbreeding. They chose horses for breeding based on coat color variations and robust forelimbs, which may have had practical implications for the usability and health of the horses.

Conclusion

  • This research offers an interesting glimpse into the genomic changes involved in horse domestication. It underscores the complexity of domestication as a process: influenced not only by natural selection but also by the specific human influences that shape breeding practices.
  • The findings suggest potential areas for further study – examining the link between the neural crest hypothesis and other domesticated animals, and exploring other historical breeding practices and their longer-term effects.

Cite This Article

APA
Librado P, Gamba C, Gaunitz C, Der Sarkissian C, Pruvost M, Albrechtsen A, Fages A, Khan N, Schubert M, Jagannathan V, Serres-Armero A, Kuderna LFK, Povolotskaya IS, Seguin-Orlando A, Lepetz S, Neuditschko M, Thèves C, Alquraishi S, Alfarhan AH, Al-Rasheid K, Rieder S, Samashev Z, Francfort HP, Benecke N, Hofreiter M, Ludwig A, Keyser C, Marques-Bonet T, Ludes B, Crubézy E, Leeb T, Willerslev E, Orlando L. (2017). Ancient genomic changes associated with domestication of the horse. Science, 356(6336), 442-445. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam5298

Publication

Science (New York, N.Y.)
ISSN: 1095-9203
NlmUniqueID: 0404511
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 356
Issue: 6336
Pages: 442-445

Researcher Affiliations

Librado, Pablo
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Gamba, Cristina
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Gaunitz, Charleen
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Der Sarkissian, Clio
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Pruvost, Mélanie
  • Institut Jacques Monod, UMR 7592 CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 75205 Paris cedex 13, France.
Albrechtsen, Anders
  • Bioinformatics Center, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200N Copenhagen, Denmark.
Fages, Antoine
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.
Khan, Naveed
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan.
Schubert, Mikkel
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jagannathan, Vidhya
  • Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland.
Serres-Armero, Aitor
  • Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
  • Center for Genomic Regulation (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Kuderna, Lukas F K
  • Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
  • Center for Genomic Regulation (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Povolotskaya, Inna S
  • Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
  • Center for Genomic Regulation (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Seguin-Orlando, Andaine
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • National High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lepetz, Sébastien
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (UMR 7209), 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France.
Neuditschko, Markus
  • Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, 1580 Avenches, Switzerland.
Thèves, Catherine
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.
Alquraishi, Saleh
  • Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Alfarhan, Ahmed H
  • Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Al-Rasheid, Khaled
  • Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Rieder, Stefan
  • Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, 1580 Avenches, Switzerland.
Samashev, Zainolla
  • Branch of Institute of Archaeology Margulan, Republic Avenue 24-405, 010000 Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan.
Francfort, Henri-Paul
  • CNRS, UMR 7041 Archéologie et Sciences de l'Antiquité, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale, Maison René Ginouvès, 21 allée de l'Université, 92023 Nanterre, France.
Benecke, Norbert
  • German Archaeological Institute, Department of Natural Sciences, Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Hofreiter, Michael
  • University of Potsdam, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
Ludwig, Arne
  • Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany.
Keyser, Christine
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.
  • Institut de Médecine Légale, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
Marques-Bonet, Tomas
  • Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
  • Center for Genomic Regulation (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
  • Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
Ludes, Bertrand
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.
  • Institut Médico-Légal, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
Crubézy, Eric
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.
Leeb, Tosso
  • Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland.
Willerslev, Eske
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark.
Orlando, Ludovic
  • Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350K Copenhagen, Denmark. lorlando@snm.ku.dk.
  • Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000 Toulouse, France.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Breeding
  • DNA, Ancient
  • DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
  • Domestication
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genome
  • Horses / genetics
  • Neural Crest
  • Quantitative Trait, Heritable
  • Selection, Genetic

Citations

This article has been cited 80 times.
  1. Wrangham RW. Targeted conspiratorial killing, human self-domestication and the evolution of groupishness. Evol Hum Sci 2021;3:e26.
    doi: 10.1017/ehs.2021.20pubmed: 37588548google scholar: lookup
  2. Todd ET, Fromentier A, Sutcliffe R, Running Horse Collin Y, Perdereau A, Aury JM, Èche C, Bouchez O, Donnadieu C, Wincker P, Kalbfleisch T, Petersen JL, Orlando L. Imputed genomes of historical horses provide insights into modern breeding. iScience 2023 Jul 21;26(7):107104.
    doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107104pubmed: 37416458google scholar: lookup
  3. Tanaka K, Sugiyama M, Shigita G, Murakami R, Duong TT, Aierken Y, Artemyeva AM, Mamypbelov Z, Ishikawa R, Nishida H, Kato K. Melon diversity on the Silk Road by molecular phylogenetic analysis in Kazakhstan melons. Breed Sci 2023 Apr;73(2):219-229.
    doi: 10.1270/jsbbs.22030pubmed: 37404344google scholar: lookup
  4. Kang Z, Shi J, Liu T, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Liu Z, Wang J, Cheng S. Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism data and mitochondrial hypervariable region 1 nucleotide sequence reveal the origin of the Akhal-Teke horse. Anim Biosci 2023 Oct;36(10):1499-1507.
    doi: 10.5713/ab.23.0044pubmed: 37170508google scholar: lookup
  5. Gleeson BT, Wilson LAB. Shared reproductive disruption, not neural crest or tameness, explains the domestication syndrome. Proc Biol Sci 2023 Mar 29;290(1995):20222464.
    doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2464pubmed: 36946116google scholar: lookup
  6. Liu X, Seguin-Orlando A, Chauvey L, Tressières G, Schiavinato S, Tonasso-Calvière L, Aury JM, Perdereau A, Wagner S, Clavel P, Estrada O, Pan J, Ma Y, Enk J, Devault A, Klunk J, Lepetz S, Clavel B, Jiang L, Wincker P, Collin YRH, Sarkissian C, Orlando L. DNA methylation-based profiling of horse archaeological remains for age-at-death and castration. iScience 2023 Mar 17;26(3):106144.
    doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106144pubmed: 36843848google scholar: lookup
  7. He Z, Dai X, Lyu W, Beaumont M, Yu F. Estimating Temporally Variable Selection Intensity from Ancient DNA Data. Mol Biol Evol 2023 Mar 4;40(3).
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msad008pubmed: 36661852google scholar: lookup
  8. Cardinali I, Giontella A, Tommasi A, Silvestrelli M, Lancioni H. Unlocking Horse Y Chromosome Diversity. Genes (Basel) 2022 Dec 2;13(12).
    doi: 10.3390/genes13122272pubmed: 36553539google scholar: lookup
  9. Sharif MB, Fitak RR, Wallner B, Orozco-terWengel P, Frewin S, Fremaux M, Mohandesan E. Reconstruction of the Major Maternal and Paternal Lineages in the Feral New Zealand Kaimanawa Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 12;12(24).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12243508pubmed: 36552427google scholar: lookup
  10. Wibmer CK, Mashilo P. Exploiting V-Gene Bias for Rapid, High-Throughput Monoclonal Antibody Isolation from Horses. Viruses 2022 Sep 30;14(10).
    doi: 10.3390/v14102172pubmed: 36298728google scholar: lookup
  11. Xu B, Yang G, Jiao B, Zhu H. Analysis of ancient and modern horse genomes reveals the critical impact of lncRNA-mediated epigenetic regulation on horse domestication. Front Genet 2022;13:944933.
    doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.944933pubmed: 36276948google scholar: lookup
  12. Rubio AO, Summers K. Neural crest cell genes and the domestication syndrome: A comparative analysis of selection. PLoS One 2022;17(2):e0263830.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263830pubmed: 35148331google scholar: lookup
  13. Bertorelle G, Raffini F, Bosse M, Bortoluzzi C, Iannucci A, Trucchi E, Morales HE, van Oosterhout C. Genetic load: genomic estimates and applications in non-model animals. Nat Rev Genet 2022 Aug;23(8):492-503.
    doi: 10.1038/s41576-022-00448-xpubmed: 35136196google scholar: lookup
  14. Wolfsberger WW, Ayala NM, Castro-Marquez SO, Irizarry-Negron VM, Potapchuk A, Shchubelka K, Potish L, Majeske AJ, Oliver LF, Lameiro AD, Martínez-Cruzado JC, Lindgren G, Oleksyk TK. Genetic diversity and selection in Puerto Rican horses. Sci Rep 2022 Jan 11;12(1):515.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-04537-5pubmed: 35017609google scholar: lookup
  15. Liu X, Zhang Y, Liu W, Li Y, Pan J, Pu Y, Han J, Orlando L, Ma Y, Jiang L. A single-nucleotide mutation within the TBX3 enhancer increased body size in Chinese horses. Curr Biol 2022 Jan 24;32(2):480-487.e6.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.052pubmed: 34906355google scholar: lookup
  16. Wilkins AS, Wrangham R, Fitch WT. The neural crest/domestication syndrome hypothesis, explained: reply to Johnsson, Henriksen, and Wright. Genetics 2021 Aug 26;219(1).
    doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyab098pubmed: 34849912google scholar: lookup
  17. Passamonti MM, Somenzi E, Barbato M, Chillemi G, Colli L, Joost S, Milanesi M, Negrini R, Santini M, Vajana E, Williams JL, Ajmone-Marsan P. The Quest for Genes Involved in Adaptation to Climate Change in Ruminant Livestock. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 28;11(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11102833pubmed: 34679854google scholar: lookup
  18. Librado P, Khan N, Fages A, Kusliy MA, Suchan T, Tonasso-Calvière L, Schiavinato S, Alioglu D, Fromentier A, Perdereau A, Aury JM, Gaunitz C, Chauvey L, Seguin-Orlando A, Der Sarkissian C, Southon J, Shapiro B, Tishkin AA, Kovalev AA, Alquraishi S, Alfarhan AH, Al-Rasheid KAS, Seregély T, Klassen L, Iversen R, Bignon-Lau O, Bodu P, Olive M, Castel JC, Boudadi-Maligne M, Alvarez N, Germonpré M, Moskal-Del Hoyo M, Wilczyński J, Pospuła S, Lasota-Kuś A, Tunia K, Nowak M, Rannamäe E, Saarma U, Boeskorov G, Lōugas L, Kyselý R, Peške L, Bălășescu A, Dumitrașcu V, Dobrescu R, Gerber D, Kiss V, Szécsényi-Nagy A, Mende BG, Gallina Z, Somogyi K, Kulcsár G, Gál E, Bendrey R, Allentoft ME, Sirbu G, Dergachev V, Shephard H, Tomadini N, Grouard S, Kasparov A, Basilyan AE, Anisimov MA, Nikolskiy PA, Pavlova EY, Pitulko V, Brem G, Wallner B, Schwall C, Keller M, Kitagawa K, Bessudnov AN, Bessudnov A, Taylor W, Magail J, Gantulga JO, Bayarsaikhan J, Erdenebaatar D, Tabaldiev K, Mijiddorj E, Boldgiv B, Tsagaan T, Pruvost M, Olsen S, Makarewicz CA, Valenzuela Lamas S, Albizuri Canadell S, Nieto Espinet A, Iborra MP, Lira Garrido J, Rodríguez González E, Celestino S, Olària C, Arsuaga JL, Kotova N, Pryor A, Crabtree P, Zhumatayev R, Toleubaev A, Morgunova NL, Kuznetsova T, Lordkipanize D, Marzullo M, Prato O, Bagnasco Gianni G, Tecchiati U, Clavel B, Lepetz S, Davoudi H, Mashkour M, Berezina NY, Stockhammer PW, Krause J, Haak W, Morales-Muñiz A, Benecke N, Hofreiter M, Ludwig A, Graphodatsky AS, Peters J, Kiryushin KY, Iderkhangai TO, Bokovenko NA, Vasiliev SK, Seregin NN, Chugunov KV, Plasteeva NA, Baryshnikov GF, Petrova E, Sablin M, Ananyevskaya E, Logvin A, Shevnina I, Logvin V, Kalieva S, Loman V, Kukushkin I, Merz I, Merz V, Sakenov S, Varfolomeyev V, Usmanova E, Zaibert V, Arbuckle B, Belinskiy AB, Kalmykov A, Reinhold S, Hansen S, Yudin AI, Vybornov AA, Epimakhov A, Berezina NS, Roslyakova N, Kosintsev PA, Kuznetsov PF, Anthony D, Kroonen GJ, Kristiansen K, Wincker P, Outram A, Orlando L. The origins and spread of domestic horses from the Western Eurasian steppes. Nature 2021 Oct;598(7882):634-640.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04018-9pubmed: 34671162google scholar: lookup
  19. Tarlykov P, Atavliyeva S, Auganova D, Akhmetollayev I, Loshakova T, Varfolomeev V, Ramankulov Y. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of ancient sheep from Kazakhstan: evidence for early sheep introduction. Heliyon 2021 Sep;7(9):e08011.
    doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08011pubmed: 34585018google scholar: lookup
  20. Hanot P, Bayarsaikhan J, Guintard C, Haruda A, Mijiddorj E, Schafberg R, Taylor W. Cranial shape diversification in horses: variation and covariation patterns under the impact of artificial selection. BMC Ecol Evol 2021 Sep 21;21(1):178.
    doi: 10.1186/s12862-021-01907-5pubmed: 34548035google scholar: lookup
  21. Wilson LAB, Balcarcel A, Geiger M, Heck L, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Modularity patterns in mammalian domestication: Assessing developmental hypotheses for diversification. Evol Lett 2021 Aug;5(4):385-396.
    doi: 10.1002/evl3.231pubmed: 34367663google scholar: lookup
  22. Klecel W, Martyniuk E. From the Eurasian Steppes to the Roman Circuses: A Review of Early Development of Horse Breeding and Management. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 22;11(7).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11071859pubmed: 34206575google scholar: lookup
  23. Wang MS, Zhang JJ, Guo X, Li M, Meyer R, Ashari H, Zheng ZQ, Wang S, Peng MS, Jiang Y, Thakur M, Suwannapoom C, Esmailizadeh A, Hirimuthugoda NY, Zein MSA, Kusza S, Kharrati-Koopaee H, Zeng L, Wang YM, Yin TT, Yang MM, Li ML, Lu XM, Lasagna E, Ceccobelli S, Gunwardana HGTN, Senasig TM, Feng SH, Zhang H, Bhuiyan AKFH, Khan MS, Silva GLLP, Thuy LT, Mwai OA, Ibrahim MNM, Zhang G, Qu KX, Hanotte O, Shapiro B, Bosse M, Wu DD, Han JL, Zhang YP. Large-scale genomic analysis reveals the genetic cost of chicken domestication. BMC Biol 2021 Jun 16;19(1):118.
    doi: 10.1186/s12915-021-01052-xpubmed: 34130700google scholar: lookup
  24. Lindo J, DeGiorgio M. Understanding the Adaptive Evolutionary Histories of South American Ancient and Present-Day Populations via Genomics. Genes (Basel) 2021 Mar 2;12(3).
    doi: 10.3390/genes12030360pubmed: 33801556google scholar: lookup
  25. Kvist L, Honka J, Niskanen M, Liedes O, Aspi J. Selection in the Finnhorse, a native all-around horse breed. J Anim Breed Genet 2021 Mar;138(2):188-203.
    doi: 10.1111/jbg.12524pubmed: 33226152google scholar: lookup
  26. Vorobieva NV, Makunin AI, Druzhkova AS, Kusliy MA, Trifonov VA, Popova KO, Polosmak NV, Molodin VI, Vasiliev SK, Shunkov MV, Graphodatsky AS. High genetic diversity of ancient horses from the Ukok Plateau. PLoS One 2020;15(11):e0241997.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241997pubmed: 33180850google scholar: lookup
  27. Ponomarenko M, Kleshchev M, Ponomarenko P, Chadaeva I, Sharypova E, Rasskazov D, Kolmykov S, Drachkova I, Vasiliev G, Gutorova N, Ignatieva E, Savinkova L, Bogomolov A, Osadchuk L, Osadchuk A, Oshchepkov D. Disruptive natural selection by male reproductive potential prevents underexpression of protein-coding genes on the human Y chromosome as a self-domestication syndrome. BMC Genet 2020 Oct 22;21(Suppl 1):89.
    doi: 10.1186/s12863-020-00896-6pubmed: 33092533google scholar: lookup
  28. Guimaraes S, Arbuckle BS, Peters J, Adcock SE, Buitenhuis H, Chazin H, Manaseryan N, Uerpmann HP, Grange T, Geigl EM. Ancient DNA shows domestic horses were introduced in the southern Caucasus and Anatolia during the Bronze Age. Sci Adv 2020 Sep;6(38).
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0030pubmed: 32938680google scholar: lookup
  29. Todd ET, Thomson PC, Hamilton NA, Ang RA, Lindgren G, Viklund Å, Eriksson S, Mikko S, Strand E, Velie BD. A genome-wide scan for candidate lethal variants in Thoroughbred horses. Sci Rep 2020 Aug 4;10(1):13153.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-68946-8pubmed: 32753654google scholar: lookup
  30. Wang MS, Thakur M, Peng MS, Jiang Y, Frantz LAF, Li M, Zhang JJ, Wang S, Peters J, Otecko NO, Suwannapoom C, Guo X, Zheng ZQ, Esmailizadeh A, Hirimuthugoda NY, Ashari H, Suladari S, Zein MSA, Kusza S, Sohrabi S, Kharrati-Koopaee H, Shen QK, Zeng L, Yang MM, Wu YJ, Yang XY, Lu XM, Jia XZ, Nie QH, Lamont SJ, Lasagna E, Ceccobelli S, Gunwardana HGTN, Senasige TM, Feng SH, Si JF, Zhang H, Jin JQ, Li ML, Liu YH, Chen HM, Ma C, Dai SS, Bhuiyan AKFH, Khan MS, Silva GLLP, Le TT, Mwai OA, Ibrahim MNM, Supple M, Shapiro B, Hanotte O, Zhang G, Larson G, Han JL, Wu DD, Zhang YP. 863 genomes reveal the origin and domestication of chicken. Cell Res 2020 Aug;30(8):693-701.
    doi: 10.1038/s41422-020-0349-ypubmed: 32581344google scholar: lookup
  31. Fitak RR, Mohandesan E, Corander J, Yadamsuren A, Chuluunbat B, Abdelhadi O, Raziq A, Nagy P, Walzer C, Faye B, Burger PA. Genomic signatures of domestication in Old World camels. Commun Biol 2020 Jun 19;3(1):316.
    doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-1039-5pubmed: 32561887google scholar: lookup
  32. Hansen Wheat C, van der Bijl W, Wheat CW. Morphology does not covary with predicted behavioral correlations of the domestication syndrome in dogs. Evol Lett 2020 Jun;4(3):189-199.
    doi: 10.1002/evl3.168pubmed: 32547780google scholar: lookup
  33. Harris AM, DeGiorgio M. A Likelihood Approach for Uncovering Selective Sweep Signatures from Haplotype Data. Mol Biol Evol 2020 Oct 1;37(10):3023-3046.
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa115pubmed: 32392293google scholar: lookup
  34. Brasó-Vives M, Povolotskaya IS, Hartasánchez DA, Farré X, Fernandez-Callejo M, Raveendran M, Harris RA, Rosene DL, Lorente-Galdos B, Navarro A, Marques-Bonet T, Rogers J, Juan D. Copy number variants and fixed duplications among 198 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). PLoS Genet 2020 May;16(5):e1008742.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008742pubmed: 32392208google scholar: lookup
  35. Dehasque M, Ávila-Arcos MC, Díez-Del-Molino D, Fumagalli M, Guschanski K, Lorenzen ED, Malaspinas AS, Marques-Bonet T, Martin MD, Murray GGR, Papadopulos AST, Therkildsen NO, Wegmann D, Dalén L, Foote AD. Inference of natural selection from ancient DNA. Evol Lett 2020 Apr;4(2):94-108.
    doi: 10.1002/evl3.165pubmed: 32313686google scholar: lookup
  36. Frantz LAF, Bradley DG, Larson G, Orlando L. Animal domestication in the era of ancient genomics. Nat Rev Genet 2020 Aug;21(8):449-460.
    doi: 10.1038/s41576-020-0225-0pubmed: 32265525google scholar: lookup
  37. Perry GH. How human behavior can impact the evolution of genetically-mediated behavior in wild non-human species. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020 May;206(3):337-342.
    doi: 10.1007/s00359-020-01415-9pubmed: 32201915google scholar: lookup
  38. Harris AM, DeGiorgio M. Identifying and Classifying Shared Selective Sweeps from Multilocus Data. Genetics 2020 May;215(1):143-171.
    doi: 10.1534/genetics.120.303137pubmed: 32152048google scholar: lookup
  39. McHugo GP, Dover MJ, MacHugh DE. Unlocking the origins and biology of domestic animals using ancient DNA and paleogenomics. BMC Biol 2019 Dec 2;17(1):98.
    doi: 10.1186/s12915-019-0724-7pubmed: 31791340google scholar: lookup
  40. V Barroso G, Puzović N, Dutheil JY. Inference of recombination maps from a single pair of genomes and its application to ancient samples. PLoS Genet 2019 Nov;15(11):e1008449.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008449pubmed: 31725722google scholar: lookup
  41. Raudsepp T, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, Petersen JL. Ten years of the horse reference genome: insights into equine biology, domestication and population dynamics in the post-genome era. Anim Genet 2019 Dec;50(6):569-597.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12857pubmed: 31568563google scholar: lookup
  42. Orlando L, Librado P. Origin and Evolution of Deleterious Mutations in Horses. Genes (Basel) 2019 Aug 28;10(9).
    doi: 10.3390/genes10090649pubmed: 31466279google scholar: lookup
  43. Castaneda C, Juras R, Khanshour A, Randlaht I, Wallner B, Rigler D, Lindgren G, Raudsepp T, Cothran EG. Population Genetic Analysis of the Estonian Native Horse Suggests Diverse and Distinct Genetics, Ancient Origin and Contribution from Unique Patrilines. Genes (Basel) 2019 Aug 20;10(8).
    doi: 10.3390/genes10080629pubmed: 31434327google scholar: lookup
  44. Gering E, Incorvaia D, Henriksen R, Wright D, Getty T. Maladaptation in feral and domesticated animals. Evol Appl 2019 Aug;12(7):1274-1286.
    doi: 10.1111/eva.12784pubmed: 31417614google scholar: lookup
  45. Fawcett JA, Sato F, Sakamoto T, Iwasaki WM, Tozaki T, Innan H. Genome-wide SNP analysis of Japanese Thoroughbred racehorses. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0218407.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218407pubmed: 31339891google scholar: lookup
  46. Kvist L, Niskanen M, Mannermaa K, Wutke S, Aspi J. Genetic variability and history of a native Finnish horse breed. Genet Sel Evol 2019 Jul 1;51(1):35.
    doi: 10.1186/s12711-019-0480-8pubmed: 31262246google scholar: lookup
  47. Grilz-Seger G, Neuditschko M, Ricard A, Velie B, Lindgren G, Mesarič M, Cotman M, Horna M, Dobretsberger M, Brem G, Druml T. Genome-Wide Homozygosity Patterns and Evidence for Selection in a Set of European and Near Eastern Horse Breeds. Genes (Basel) 2019 Jun 28;10(7).
    doi: 10.3390/genes10070491pubmed: 31261764google scholar: lookup
  48. Grilz-Seger G, Druml T, Neuditschko M, Mesarič M, Cotman M, Brem G. Analysis of ROH patterns in the Noriker horse breed reveals signatures of selection for coat color and body size. Anim Genet 2019 Aug;50(4):334-346.
    doi: 10.1111/age.12797pubmed: 31199540google scholar: lookup
  49. Gmel AI, Druml T, von Niederhäusern R, Leeb T, Neuditschko M. Genome-Wide Association Studies Based on Equine Joint Angle Measurements Reveal New QTL Affecting the Conformation of Horses. Genes (Basel) 2019 May 14;10(5).
    doi: 10.3390/genes10050370pubmed: 31091839google scholar: lookup
  50. Renaud G, Hanghøj K, Korneliussen TS, Willerslev E, Orlando L. Joint Estimates of Heterozygosity and Runs of Homozygosity for Modern and Ancient Samples. Genetics 2019 Jul;212(3):587-614.
    doi: 10.1534/genetics.119.302057pubmed: 31088861google scholar: lookup
  51. Fages A, Hanghøj K, Khan N, Gaunitz C, Seguin-Orlando A, Leonardi M, McCrory Constantz C, Gamba C, Al-Rasheid KAS, Albizuri S, Alfarhan AH, Allentoft M, Alquraishi S, Anthony D, Baimukhanov N, Barrett JH, Bayarsaikhan J, Benecke N, Bernáldez-Sánchez E, Berrocal-Rangel L, Biglari F, Boessenkool S, Boldgiv B, Brem G, Brown D, Burger J, Crubézy E, Daugnora L, Davoudi H, de Barros Damgaard P, de Los Ángeles de Chorro Y de Villa-Ceballos M, Deschler-Erb S, Detry C, Dill N, do Mar Oom M, Dohr A, Ellingvåg S, Erdenebaatar D, Fathi H, Felkel S, Fernández-Rodríguez C, García-Viñas E, Germonpré M, Granado JD, Hallsson JH, Hemmer H, Hofreiter M, Kasparov A, Khasanov M, Khazaeli R, Kosintsev P, Kristiansen K, Kubatbek T, Kuderna L, Kuznetsov P, Laleh H, Leonard JA, Lhuillier J, Liesau von Lettow-Vorbeck C, Logvin A, Lõugas L, Ludwig A, Luis C, Arruda AM, Marques-Bonet T, Matoso Silva R, Merz V, Mijiddorj E, Miller BK, Monchalov O, Mohaseb FA, Morales A, Nieto-Espinet A, Nistelberger H, Onar V, Pálsdóttir AH, Pitulko V, Pitskhelauri K, Pruvost M, Rajic Sikanjic P, Rapan Papeša A, Roslyakova N, Sardari A, Sauer E, Schafberg R, Scheu A, Schibler J, Schlumbaum A, Serrand N, Serres-Armero A, Shapiro B, Sheikhi Seno S, Shevnina I, Shidrang S, Southon J, Star B, Sykes N, Taheri K, Taylor W, Teegen WR, Trbojević Vukičević T, Trixl S, Tumen D, Undrakhbold S, Usmanova E, Vahdati A, Valenzuela-Lamas S, Viegas C, Wallner B, Weinstock J, Zaibert V, Clavel B, Lepetz S, Mashkour M, Helgason A, Stefánsson K, Barrey E, Willerslev E, Outram AK, Librado P, Orlando L. Tracking Five Millennia of Horse Management with Extensive Ancient Genome Time Series. Cell 2019 May 30;177(6):1419-1435.e31.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.03.049pubmed: 31056281google scholar: lookup
  52. Felkel S, Vogl C, Rigler D, Dobretsberger V, Chowdhary BP, Distl O, Fries R, Jagannathan V, Janečka JE, Leeb T, Lindgren G, McCue M, Metzger J, Neuditschko M, Rattei T, Raudsepp T, Rieder S, Rubin CJ, Schaefer R, Schlötterer C, Thaller G, Tetens J, Velie B, Brem G, Wallner B. The horse Y chromosome as an informative marker for tracing sire lines. Sci Rep 2019 Apr 15;9(1):6095.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-42640-wpubmed: 30988347google scholar: lookup
  53. Tennant RK, Lux TM, Sambles CM, Kuhn NJ, Petticrew EL, Oldfield R, Parker DA, Hatton J, Moore KA, Lee R, Turney CSM, Jones RT, Love J. Palaeogenomics of the Hydrocarbon Producing Microalga Botryococcus braunii. Sci Rep 2019 Feb 11;9(1):1776.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-38236-5pubmed: 30742038google scholar: lookup
  54. Allaby RG, Ware RL, Kistler L. A re-evaluation of the domestication bottleneck from archaeogenomic evidence. Evol Appl 2019 Jan;12(1):29-37.
    doi: 10.1111/eva.12680pubmed: 30622633google scholar: lookup
  55. Kalbfleisch TS, Rice ES, DePriest MS Jr, Walenz BP, Hestand MS, Vermeesch JR, O Connell BL, Fiddes IT, Vershinina AO, Saremi NF, Petersen JL, Finno CJ, Bellone RR, McCue ME, Brooks SA, Bailey E, Orlando L, Green RE, Miller DC, Antczak DF, MacLeod JN. Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition. Commun Biol 2018;1:197.
    doi: 10.1038/s42003-018-0199-zpubmed: 30456315google scholar: lookup
  56. Taylor W, Shnaider S, Abdykanova A, Fages A, Welker F, Irmer F, Seguin-Orlando A, Khan N, Douka K, Kolobova K, Orlando L, Krivoshapkin A, Boivin N. Early pastoral economies along the Ancient Silk Road: Biomolecular evidence from the Alay Valley, Kyrgyzstan. PLoS One 2018;13(10):e0205646.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205646pubmed: 30379865google scholar: lookup
  57. Cozzi MC, Strillacci MG, Valiati P, Rogliano E, Bagnato A, Longeri M. Genetic variability of Akhal-Teke horses bred in Italy. PeerJ 2018;6:e4889.
    doi: 10.7717/peerj.4889pubmed: 30202639google scholar: lookup
  58. George RJ, Plog S, Watson AS, Schmidt KL, Culleton BJ, Harper TK, Gilman PA, LeBlanc SA, Amato G, Whiteley P, Kistler L, Kennett DJ. Archaeogenomic evidence from the southwestern US points to a pre-Hispanic scarlet macaw breeding colony. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 Aug 28;115(35):8740-8745.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1805856115pubmed: 30104352google scholar: lookup
  59. Leonardi M, Boschin F, Giampoudakis K, Beyer RM, Krapp M, Bendrey R, Sommer R, Boscato P, Manica A, Nogues-Bravo D, Orlando L. Late Quaternary horses in Eurasia in the face of climate and vegetation change. Sci Adv 2018 Jul;4(7):eaar5589.
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aar5589pubmed: 30050986google scholar: lookup
  60. Pendleton AL, Shen F, Taravella AM, Emery S, Veeramah KR, Boyko AR, Kidd JM. Comparison of village dog and wolf genomes highlights the role of the neural crest in dog domestication. BMC Biol 2018 Jun 28;16(1):64.
    doi: 10.1186/s12915-018-0535-2pubmed: 29950181google scholar: lookup
  61. Metzger J, Rau J, Naccache F, Bas Conn L, Lindgren G, Distl O. Genome data uncover four synergistic key regulators for extremely small body size in horses. BMC Genomics 2018 Jun 25;19(1):492.
    doi: 10.1186/s12864-018-4877-5pubmed: 29940849google scholar: lookup
  62. Renaud G, Petersen B, Seguin-Orlando A, Bertelsen MF, Waller A, Newton R, Paillot R, Bryant N, Vaudin M, Librado P, Orlando L. Improved de novo genomic assembly for the domestic donkey. Sci Adv 2018 Apr;4(4):eaaq0392.
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0392pubmed: 29740610google scholar: lookup
  63. Wutke S, Sandoval-Castellanos E, Benecke N, Döhle HJ, Friederich S, Gonzalez J, Hofreiter M, Lõugas L, Magnell O, Malaspinas AS, Morales-Muñiz A, Orlando L, Reissmann M, Trinks A, Ludwig A. Decline of genetic diversity in ancient domestic stallions in Europe. Sci Adv 2018 Apr;4(4):eaap9691.
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aap9691pubmed: 29675468google scholar: lookup
  64. Alberto FJ, Boyer F, Orozco-terWengel P, Streeter I, Servin B, de Villemereuil P, Benjelloun B, Librado P, Biscarini F, Colli L, Barbato M, Zamani W, Alberti A, Engelen S, Stella A, Joost S, Ajmone-Marsan P, Negrini R, Orlando L, Rezaei HR, Naderi S, Clarke L, Flicek P, Wincker P, Coissac E, Kijas J, Tosser-Klopp G, Chikhi A, Bruford MW, Taberlet P, Pompanon F. Convergent genomic signatures of domestication in sheep and goats. Nat Commun 2018 Mar 6;9(1):813.
    doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03206-ypubmed: 29511174google scholar: lookup
  65. Sadeghi R, Moradi-Shahrbabak M, Miraei Ashtiani SR, Miller DC, Antczak DF. MHC haplotype diversity in Persian Arabian horses determined using polymorphic microsatellites. Immunogenetics 2018 May;70(5):305-315.
    doi: 10.1007/s00251-017-1039-xpubmed: 29170799google scholar: lookup
  66. Teasdale MD, Fiddyment S, Vnouček J, Mattiangeli V, Speller C, Binois A, Carver M, Dand C, Newfield TP, Webb CC, Bradley DG, Collins MJ. The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest. R Soc Open Sci 2017 Oct;4(10):170988.
    doi: 10.1098/rsos.170988pubmed: 29134095google scholar: lookup
  67. Marciniak S, Perry GH. Harnessing ancient genomes to study the history of human adaptation. Nat Rev Genet 2017 Nov;18(11):659-674.
    doi: 10.1038/nrg.2017.65pubmed: 28890534google scholar: lookup
  68. Zeder MA. Domestication as a model system for the extended evolutionary synthesis. Interface Focus 2017 Oct 6;7(5):20160133.
    doi: 10.1098/rsfs.2016.0133pubmed: 28839915google scholar: lookup
  69. Chevalier NR, Gayda F, Bondurand N, Chan ZC, Savy T, Frain M, El Merhie A, Canta L, Dicu M, Le Parco I, Zig L. Endothelin-3 and T-type Ca(2+) channels drive enteric neural crest cell calcium activity, contractility and migration. Nat Commun 2026 Jan 20;17(1):1370.
    doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-68121-5pubmed: 41559055google scholar: lookup
  70. Saldaña CL, Justo S, Murga L, Vásquez HV, Maicelo JL, Arbizu CI, Bardales W. Mitochondrial genome assembly of the Peruvian Paso horse through PacBio long-read sequencing. Sci Rep 2025 Dec 21;16(1):85.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-29107-xpubmed: 41423464google scholar: lookup
  71. Scarsbrook L, Spatola GJ, Dreger DL, Feuerborn TR, Buckley RM, Carmagnini A, Fabre AC, Harris AC, Hertwig ST, Leeb T, Mousseau TA, Tabbada K, Thalmann O, Larson G, Frantz LAF, Ostrander EA. A 120-y time series of genomes reveals the consequences of closed breeding in German Shepherd Dogs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2025 Dec 2;122(48):e2421755122.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2421755122pubmed: 41284896google scholar: lookup
  72. Steensma MJ, Ducro BJ, Dibbits B, Doekes HP, van Schipstal JGC, Kalblfleisch T, Groenen MAM, Derks MFL. High-quality, haplotype-resolved reference genomes of the Dutch warmblood horse and Friesian horse using trio binning. BMC Genomics 2025 Sep 1;26(1):790.
    doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-11985-0pubmed: 40890628google scholar: lookup
  73. Sharif MB, Mohaseb AF, Orlando L, Saliari K, Kunst GK, Czeika S, Mashkour M, Cucchi T, Peters J, Trixl S, Mohandesan E. Late Iron Age and Roman equine breeding north of the Alps: Genetic insights and cultural implications. iScience 2025 Sep 19;28(9):113224.
    doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113224pubmed: 40837235google scholar: lookup
  74. Li X, Wang Z, Zhu M, Wang B, Teng S, Yan J, Wang H, Yuan P, Cao S, Qu X, Wang Z, Zhan K, Choudhury MP, Yang X, Bao Q, He S, Liu L, Zhao P, Jiang J, Xiang H, Fang L, Tang Z, Liao Y, Yi G. Genomic Insights into Post-Domestication Expansion and Selection of Body Size in Ponies. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2025 Apr;12(16):e2413023.
    doi: 10.1002/advs.202413023pubmed: 40009528google scholar: lookup
  75. Du W, Sun Q, Hu S, Yu P, Kan S, Zhang W. Equus mitochondrial pangenome reveals independent domestication imprints in donkeys and horses. Sci Rep 2025 Feb 25;15(1):6803.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91564-1pubmed: 40000832google scholar: lookup
  76. Lovász L, Sommer-Trembo C, Barth JMI, Scasta JD, Grancharova-Hill R, Lemoine RT, Kerekes V, Merckling L, Bouskila A, Svenning JC, Fages A. Rewilded horses in European nature conservation - a genetics, ethics, and welfare perspective. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2025 Feb;100(1):407-427.
    doi: 10.1111/brv.13146pubmed: 39279124google scholar: lookup
  77. Fegraeus K, Rosengren MK, Naboulsi R, Orlando L, Åbrink M, Jouni A, Velie BD, Raine A, Egner B, Mattsson CM, Lång K, Zhigulev A, Björck HM, Franco-Cereceda A, Eriksson P, Andersson G, Sahlén P, Meadows JRS, Lindgren G. An endothelial regulatory module links blood pressure regulation with elite athletic performance. PLoS Genet 2024 Jun;20(6):e1011285.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011285pubmed: 38885195google scholar: lookup
  78. Feiner N, Yang W, Bunikis I, While GM, Uller T. Adaptive introgression reveals the genetic basis of a sexually selected syndrome in wall lizards. Sci Adv 2024 Apr 5;10(14):eadk9315.
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk9315pubmed: 38569035google scholar: lookup
  79. Li Y, Xu W, Wang J, Liu H, Liu J, Zhang L, Hou R, Shen F, Liu Y, Cai K. Giant pandas in captivity undergo short-term adaptation in nerve-related pathways. BMC Zool 2024 Feb 21;9(1):4.
    doi: 10.1186/s40850-024-00195-ypubmed: 38383502google scholar: lookup
  80. Orlando L. A genetic window into the human social past. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023 Sep 12;120(37):e2312672120.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2312672120pubmed: 37647367google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,021 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.