Variation in a handful of genes explains why some dog breeds, such as pugs, have round, thickset heads, whereas others, such as collies, have long, narrow skulls.
Selective breeding by humans has had a strong influence on the shapes of dogs' heads, which vary greatly across the species. Elaine Ostrander at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and her colleagues compared the shapes of 533 skulls belonging to 120 dog breeds (a sample pictured) and four subspecies of grey wolf with genetic data from many of the same species. Five genomic regions seem to set breeds with round heads apart from those with elongated heads.
Sequencing one of these regions in 11 dog breeds uncovered a mutation in a developmental gene called BMP3 in round-headed bulldogs and Pekingese. Further analysis revealed this mutation in nearly all breeds with very short heads, including pugs, Boston terriers and Shih Tzus.
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Heady dog genetics. Nature 488, 257 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/488257d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/488257d
