Dog (Canis lupus)

Man’s best friend is a valuable model organism for studying the genetics of complex traits. It is also an excellent model for researching numerous diseases requiring subtle phenotyping.

Man’s best friend is a valuable model organism for studying the genetics of complex traits. It is also an excellent model for researching numerous diseases requiring subtle phenotyping. The dog genome is similar in size to the genomes of humans and other mammals, containing an estimated 2.8 billion DNA base pairs. A comparison of the dog and human genomes could help scientists find the genetic roots of dog behavior and physiology and help to identify genes that cause diseases in both dogs and humans. Canine models have played an important role in advancing biomedical knowledge and techniques. Due to a long history of selective breeding, many breeds of dogs are prone to genetic diseases including cancer and autoimmune disorders that are difficult to study in humans.