"A gene that is important for human hearing could determine whether a dog's ears are pendulous like a basset hound's or stubby like a rottweiler's, according to a genetic analysis of more than 3,000 dogs, wolves and coyotes. The study, presented on 11 January at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego, California, found that DNA variants near a gene called MSRB3 are linked to ear length in dogs."
"The project was inspired by Cobain, a gregarious, nine-year-old American cocker spaniel whose hobbies include morning swims in a local creek and following people from room to room. One day, Anna Ramey, an undergraduate working in a canine genetics laboratory at the University of Georgia in Athens, gazed at her dog Cobain's long, floppy ears and wondered: why? She took the question to her colleagues, and the project was born."
Genome analysis of more than 3,000 dogs, wolves and coyotes linked DNA variants near MSRB3 to variation in ear length. Presentation on 11 January and a December publication reported the association between MSRB3-region variants and canine ear length. The project originated from observation of an American cocker spaniel's long, floppy ears and investigation by undergraduate researchers and colleagues. Ear size and carriage vary by breed due to both natural factors, such as climate-related heat loss, and selective breeding for functions like scent tracking in basset hounds or auditory advantage in German shepherds. Genomes were analysed to identify genetic differences associated with ear length.
Read at www.nature.com
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