International canine gene research database enhances understanding of hereditary diseases

The International DoGA Consortium has achieved a significant milestone in genetics research by creating a comprehensive canine promoter and gene expression atlas. The atlas is a database that shows which genes are active in different parts of the body and when they are activated. This helps researchers better understand how genes function in various situations and how they impact health and diseases.

“This new international database is a significant advancement for genetic disease researchers, not only for dogs but also for other species. Our comprehensive database provides a crucial resource for understanding gene regulation and will serve as a critical tool for the scientific community for years to come,” says Professor Hannes Lohi, one of the lead researchers of the study from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine at the University of Helsinki.

The creation of the DoGA atlas was the result of close collaboration among researchers worldwide. The project involved experts in genomics, veterinary medicine, and computational biology. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers collected more than 5,000 samples from various dog breeds and wolves, using advanced RNA sequencing techniques to map gene expression and promoter structures. This extensive work significantly improves the canine gene map compared to other model organisms such as mice, zebrafish, or cattle.

A versatile resource for future medical research

“We created a research resource that significantly enhances the use of dogs as a model for human health research, as well as directly for studying canine genetics. We demonstrated the potential of the database with several examples for different research purposes, such as comparing changes during embryonic development, the expression of disease genes in various tissues, and the regulation of genes related to behavioral traits,” explains Ph.D. Matthias Hörtenhuber, one of the leading authors of the article from Karolinska Insitutet, Stockholm.

The open DoGA database provides the scientific community with an interactive gene atlas, allowing researchers to comprehensively study gene expression in different tissues. This enables the prioritization of hereditary factors related to diseases and promotes research between humans and dogs. The data collected in the database can be used to map genes associated with cancers, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders.

“By improving our understanding of gene regulation in both dogs and wolves, the DoGA database is expected to have a significant impact on both veterinary and human medicine. For example, we can investigate how much the brains of dogs and wolves differ from each other. Additionally, the unique genetic history and breed structures of dogs, combined with the new functional gene map, provide an effective framework for studying genetic diseases,” summarizes Lohi.