Descripción del proyecto
Métodos innovadores para detectar la acción humana en la reproducción animal
En las cadenas genéticas de la ascendencia del ganado caprino, bovino y ovino han influido una gran variedad de factores como la cría humana, las condiciones medioambientales, la hibridación y la deriva genética coincidental. Su domesticación inicial, la intensificación del uso de productos animales y la creación de razas autóctonas específicas son episodios clave en las interacciones entre el ser humano y los animales. Sin embargo, estos importantes sucesos no están bien definidos en el tiempo y el espacio. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos AncestralWeave combinará métodos innovadores con datos sobre el genoma completo antiguo para desvelar las cadenas de ascendencia en el ganado caprino, bovino y ovino a lo largo de todo el genoma en los episodios transformadores mencionados anteriormente. El proyecto generará en total un conjunto de 1000 genomas de animales antiguos que permitirá detectar la acción humana en la reproducción animal. Los resultados podrían contribuir a comprender las mutaciones dañinas que amenazan en la actualidad a los animales de granja.
Objetivo
The genetic threads of goat, cattle and sheep ancestry have been woven by human breeding, environmental pressures, hybridisation and the chance effects of genetic drift. The ancestral weaves of these key animals intertwine with human creativity in the most profoundly innovative episodes of the human past. Three broad episodes of particular import were: initial domestications circa 11 kya in Southwest Asia; the intensification circa 6 kya of use of those animal products which are harvested without killing such as wool, milk and traction; and the development of exceptionally productive landraces, later formalized into breeds, in recent millennia. However, each of these is loosely defined in time and space, the key traits are often osteologically invisible, and the vectors of causality in their virtuous cycles of gene-economy innovation are completely unknown.
A combination of high coverage ancient whole genome data coupled with new analysis methods that allow efficient computation of genomewide locus genealogies will be used to untangle the threads of ancestry in sheep, cattle and goat across the whole genome in these transformative phases. Combining these with additional low coverage genomes generated from less preserved samples will generate a total set of 1,000 ancient animal genomes. These data will be unprecedented and will allow tracking of selection at trait genes, in order to detect human agency in breeding and, in collaboration with archaeologist partners, asking are there periods and places where threads of innovation coalesce. The project will also use ancient epigenetics to explore archaeological variation in gene activation patterns and will seek to understand the problematic build up of harmful mutations that threaten livestock today. With cognate disciplines, it will compare signals of animal mobility identifying distinct genetic strata correlating with archaeological horizons and affording the prospect of DNA-dating in future excavation.
Ámbito científico
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Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-ADG - Advanced GrantInstitución de acogida
D02 CX56 DUBLIN 2
Irlanda