For the first time, molecular biologists have completely sequence of the dog, boxer genome. This discovery not only could help understanding how genetics plays a role in canine unique set of personality, behaviors and diseases, but also could help breeders to check the purity of pedigrees. In addition, the completeness of mapping out the genes of a boxer could also help scientists to discover disease-causing in people, because dogs and humans share many of the same disease; such as, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- We may be more like dogs than we think. A molecular biologist, Ewen Kirkness, at The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., says “The boxer genome will help us get at the genes responsible for diseases and traits in dogs, and then we have a better handle on what is causing the disease in humans, because same genes will be responsible for similar diseases in humans.” (SecienceDaily, Doggy Genes Newly Sequenced Genome Could Shed Light on Human Diseases,(2006)) A disease-causing genes is easier to find in dogs than in people, because mutations in a dozen different genes can cause human disease, it is very difficult to find. However, in dogs, only one gene mutation can cause a disease, and that same mutated gene causes an identical disease in humans.
Due to a dog genome is estimated to include 19,300 genes, and nearly all of them correspond to similar human genes, the newly sequenced dog genes not only a major step forward for research in veterinary medicine, but also could help scientists to find and understand human disease.
References:
- Main article & Video: SecienceDaily your source for the latest research news, Doggy Genes Newly Sequenced Genome Could Shed Light on Human Diseases, (2006). < http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2006/0704-doggy_genes.htm> view: 21st March, 2009.
- Image: copyright: < http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/images/2006/15194-1.jpg> view: 21st March, 2009.
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