Ancient Dog Genome Preserved in Tumor Provides Novel Insights into the Domestication of Dogs

Summary

Transmissible cancers are mostly known from Tasmanian devils, soft shell clams and dogs. In dogs, the Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumors (CTVT) manifests as genital tumors and spreads between dogs (usually during mating) by the transfer of living cancer cells. This tumour first originated in the cells of an individual dog, up to 11,000 years ago, and possesses the genome of that founder dog. As such, CTVT cells contain an ancient living genome (the founder’s dog genome) that was passed along dogs for thousands of years. Interestingly, with CTVT cells have now infected dogs all across the world, yet the genome of these tumors has largely preserved the features of the founder’s dog genome. Here I will presents results obtained from novel ancient dog genome sequences that were analysed alongside CTVT genomes. I will show how the CTVT genome can be utilized not only to reveal the evolutionary history of the founder dog but also to provide novel insights into the domestication history of dogs, especially in the Arctic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21222