Genome Sequence, Comparative Analysis, and Population Genetics of the Domestic Horse

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1178158
• Publication Date: 2009-11-05T19:42:59Z
• Authors: C. M. Wade; E. Giulotto; S. Sigurdsson; M. Zoli; S. Gnerre; F. Imsland; T. L. Lear; D. L. Adelson; E. Bailey; R. R. Bellone; H. Blöcker; O. Distl; R. C. Edgar; M. Garber; T. Leeb; E. Mauceli; J. N. MacLeod; M. C. T. Penedo; J. M. Raison; T. Sharpe; J. Vogel; L. Andersson; D. F. Antczak; T. Biagi; M. M. Binns; B. P. Chowdhary; S. J. Coleman; G. Della Valle; S. Fryc; G. Guérin; T. Hasegawa; E. W. Hill; J. Jurka; A. Kiialainen; G. Lindgren; J. Liu; E. Magnani; J. R. Mickelson; J. Murray; S. G. Nergadze; R. Onofrio; S. Pedroni; M. F. Piras; T. Raudsepp; M. Rocchi; K. H. Røed; O. A. Ryder; S. Searle; L. Skow; J. E. Swinburne; A. C. Syvänen; T. Tozaki; S. J. Valberg; M. Vaudin; J. R. White; M. C. Zody; ; ; E. S. Lander; K. Lindblad-Toh
• Keywords: DNA Copy Number Variations; Evolution; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Broad Institute Whole Genome Assembly Team; Centromere; Molecular Sequence Data; 590; complete genome; Synteny; Chromosomes; Repetitive Sequences; 630; Evolution, Molecular; 03 medical and health sciences; Dogs; evolution; Animals; Humans; Horses; Domestic; Phylogeny; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; 2. Zero hunger; 0303 health sciences; Genome; Nucleic Acid; Mammalian; Molecular; Chromosome Mapping; Computational Biology; DNA; sequencing; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Broad Institute Genome Sequencing Platform; Chromosomes, Mammalian; horse; Genes; Haplotypes; Animals, Domestic; Female; Sequence Analysis

A Horse Is a Horse, of Course

The history of horse domestication is closely tied to the history of the human society.

Wade et al.

(p. 865 ) report on the sequencing and provide a single nucleotide polymorphism map of the horse ( Equus caballus ) genome. Horses are a member of the order perissodactyla (odd-toed animals with hooves). The analysis reveals an evolutionarily new centromere on equine chromosome 11 that displays properties of an immature but fully functioning centromere and is devoid of centromeric satellite sequence. The findings clarify the nature of genetic diversity within and across horse breeds and suggest that the horse was domesticated from a relatively large number of females, but few males.