Revealing the History of Sheep Domestication Using Retrovirus Integrations

Journal Article

N.,, Ali, B.A., Wang, Z., Uzun, M., Dione, M., Olsaker, I., Holm, L.-E., Saarma, U., Ahmad, S., Marzanov, . 2009

• Publication Work Type: Research article
• Magazine \ Newspaper: Science
• Volume Number: 324
• Pages: 532-536

Publication Abstract

The domestication of livestock represented a crucial step in human history. By using endogenous

retroviruses as genetic markers, we found that sheep differentiated on the basis of their “retrotype”

and morphological traits dispersed across Eurasia and Africa via separate migratory episodes.

Relicts of the first migrations include the Mouflon, as well as breeds previously recognized as

“primitive” on the basis of their morphology, such as the Orkney, Soay, and the Nordic short-tailed

sheep now confined to the periphery of northwest Europe. A later migratory episode, involving

sheep with improved production traits, shaped the great majority of present-day breeds. The ability

to differentiate genetically primitive sheep from more modern breeds provides valuable insights

into the history of sheep domestication.