Dog DNA could help mankind.

Date published: 12/13/2005

Mapping canines

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, dogs have been bred by man to accomplish certain tasks: Doberman pinchers to guard property, Yorkshire terriers as lap dogs, collies to herd sheep. The development of these characteristics is accomplished by selective breeding--by carefully reducing the gene pool so that a breed looks and acts consistently a certain way.

Now, that centuries-old process may have an unexpected benefit. Scientists at MIT and Harvard studying DNA have been able to decode the canine genome, that is, to identify the order of the 2.4 billion chemical bases that make up a dog's genetic material. Since some diseases--certain forms of cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy, for example--are more common in some breeds, the identification of specific genes is easier than it is in completely random species. The selective breeding, for example, that makes a Springer spaniel the size, shape, and color that it is has also concentrated a tendency for epilepsy in the breed. Identifying the "Springer-specific" area of canine DNA should enable scientists to find nearby the genes that regulate epilepsy. This should help narrow the same search in humans. Gene-therapy for inheritable diseases could result.

Dogs have long been man's best friend. Now they may well be mankind's next best hope in fighting disease.

Date published: 12/13/2005