Publications by authors named "Yan-Hu Liu"

The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is a clonal cell-mediated cancer with a long evolutionary history and extensive karyotype rearrangements in its genome. However, little is known about its genetic similarity to human tumors. Here, using multi-omics data we identified 11 germline gene fusions (GGFs) in CTVT, which showed higher genetic susceptibility than others.

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  • Dairy pastoralism on the Tibetan Plateau started around 3600 years ago with the introduction of dairy animals and dogs from West Eurasia.
  • Genetic analysis shows a unique lactase persistence allele specific to Tibetans, which is different from those found in West Eurasians and South Asians.
  • The findings highlight how Tibetans adapted both culturally and genetically to include dairy in their diet, enriching our understanding of their pastoral lifestyle.
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  • The Dog10K project sequenced genomes from 1,987 canids, including 1,611 dogs of 321 breeds, to study genetics related to domestication and health.
  • The analysis identified over 48 million genetic variants and highlighted that most breeds exhibit strong genetic clustering, with German Shepherds showing notable genetic similarities with various breeds.
  • This extensive dataset enhances understanding of canine genetics and can be used as a reliable reference for future genetic studies, with all data now publicly accessible.
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  • Sighthounds are a unique group of dog breeds with ancient origins, and a study sequenced the genomes of 123 sighthounds from various regions to analyze their ancestry and genetic traits.
  • The research highlighted that sighthounds likely descended from distinct native dogs, showing extensive genetic mixing across breeds, supporting the theory of multiple origins for these dogs.
  • Key findings included the identification of several positively selected genes related to heart function and different mutations in the ESR1 and JAK2 genes that affect their expression, shedding light on the genetic factors linked to the sighthound phenotype and their domestication history.
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  • The study focuses on the genetic structure and adaptation of Chinese cannabis, an important industrial crop with various uses.
  • Researchers classified Chinese cannabis into five groups based on geographical location and growing conditions, identifying key genes linked to traits like flowering time and stress responses.
  • Findings provide insights into how cultivated cannabis adapts to different light conditions and offer genomic resources that could benefit future cannabis breeding efforts.
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: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) remain unclear over the years. Neuroinflammation caused by surgery has been recognized as an important element in the development of POCD. Many studies also suggest that the vagus nerve plays an important role in transmitting peripheral injury signals to the central nervous system (CNS) and the resultant neuroinflammation.

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  • Dogs and humans have evolved together over thousands of years, leading to shared genetic adaptations, particularly in European dog breeds.
  • This study analyzed genomes from various dogs and wolves, discovering 86 genes positively selected in European dogs, notably the lactase gene (LCT), crucial for digesting lactose.
  • A specific mutation in the LCT gene, linked to improved lactose digestion, likely occurred within the last 6,535 years, coinciding with the rise of dairy farming in central Europe.
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The domestic dog has evolved to be an important biomedical model for studies regarding the genetic basis of disease, morphology and behavior. Genetic studies in the dog have relied on a draft reference genome of a purebred female boxer dog named "Tasha" initially published in 2005. Derived from a Sanger whole genome shotgun sequencing approach coupled with limited clone-based sequencing, the initial assembly and subsequent updates have served as the predominant resource for canine genetics for 15 years.

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  • OCD is a complex disorder with variable genetic and biological characteristics, complicating research on its mechanisms in humans.
  • A study examined circling behavior in two dog breeds, the Belgian Malinois and Kunming Dog, identifying 11 candidate genes related to OCD that also overlap with genes linked to human OCD.
  • The findings suggest that changes in the density and structure of dendritic spines may reflect shared biological pathways for OCD in both species, emphasizing the potential of dogs as model organisms for studying human diseases.
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Despite the substantial role that chickens have played in human societies across the world, both the geographic and temporal origins of their domestication remain controversial. To address this issue, we analyzed 863 genomes from a worldwide sampling of chickens and representatives of all four species of wild jungle fowl and each of the five subspecies of red jungle fowl (RJF). Our study suggests that domestic chickens were initially derived from the RJF subspecies Gallus gallus spadiceus whose present-day distribution is predominantly in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Myanmar.

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  • Dingoes are unique wild canids in Australia that evolved from domestic dogs, becoming a distinct population after isolation from their ancestors.
  • Genetic analysis of 10 dingoes and 2 New Guinea Singing Dogs reveals that dingoes originated from southern East Asian dogs around 8300 years ago and adapted to their new environment.
  • The study identified 50 genes related to digestion and metabolism that underwent positive selection, indicating adaptations to diet and behavior as dingoes transitioned to life in the wild.
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Several processes like phenotypic evolution, disease susceptibility and environmental adaptations, which fashion the domestication of animals, are largely attributable to structural variations (SVs) in the genome. Here, we present high-quality draft genomes of the gray wolf () and dhole () with scaffold N50 of 6.04 Mb and 3.

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The evolutionary history of the wolf-like canids of the genus Canis has been heavily debated, especially regarding the number of distinct species and their relationships at the population and species level [1-6]. We assembled a dataset of 48 resequenced genomes spanning all members of the genus Canis except the black-backed and side-striped jackals, encompassing the global diversity of seven extant canid lineages. This includes eight new genomes, including the first resequenced Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), one dhole (Cuon alpinus), two East African hunting dogs (Lycaon pictus), two Eurasian golden jackals (Canis aureus), and two Middle Eastern gray wolves (Canis lupus).

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Tibetan frogs, , are differentiated genetically but not morphologically along geographical and elevational gradients in a challenging environment, presenting a unique opportunity to investigate processes leading to speciation. Analyses of whole genomes of 63 frogs reveal population structuring and historical demography, characterized by highly restricted gene flow in a narrow geographic zone lying between matrilines West (W) and East (E). A population found only along a single tributary of the Yalu Zangbu River has the mitogenome only of E, whereas nuclear genes of W comprise 89-95% of the nuclear genome.

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  • * Research on 19 indigenous Nigerian dogs showed their ancestors migrated from Eurasia about 14,000 years ago and faced a severe population bottleneck before expanding.
  • * Analysis identified 50 genes linked to important traits like immunity and disease resistance, with one gene (ADGRE1) also related to malaria resistance, making dogs a valuable model for studying malaria control in humans.
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Genome-wide studies on high-altitude adaptation have received increased attention as a classical case of organismal evolution under extreme environment. However, the current genetic understanding of high-altitude adaptation emanated mainly from autosomal analyses. Only a few earlier genomic studies paid attention to the allosome.

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  • The snub-nosed monkey genus Rhinopithecus includes five species that live at different altitudes, ranging from 800 to 4,500 m, with some adapted to high-altitude environments and others to lowlands.
  • Researchers sequenced the whole genomes of Rhinopithecus bieti and the other four species, finding specific genetic changes related to lung function and UV resistance in the high-altitude monkeys.
  • The study highlights evolutionary adaptations in these monkeys, showcasing genetic markers that improve survival in harsh high-altitude conditions.
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The origin and evolution of the domestic dog remains a controversial question for the scientific community, with basic aspects such as the place and date of origin, and the number of times dogs were domesticated, open to dispute. Using whole genome sequences from a total of 58 canids (12 gray wolves, 27 primitive dogs from Asia and Africa, and a collection of 19 diverse breeds from across the world), we find that dogs from southern East Asia have significantly higher genetic diversity compared to other populations, and are the most basal group relating to gray wolves, indicating an ancient origin of domestic dogs in southern East Asia 33 000 years ago. Around 15 000 years ago, a subset of ancestral dogs started migrating to the Middle East, Africa and Europe, arriving in Europe at about 10 000 years ago.

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Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are one of the major unexplored components of genomes. Here we re-analyzed a published methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-seq) dataset to characterize the DNA methylation pattern of pig lincRNA genes in adipose and muscle tissues. Our study showed that the methylation level of lincRNA genes was higher than that of mRNA genes, with similar trends observed in comparisons of the promoter, exon or intron regions.

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Last decade witnessed the explosive development of the third-generation sequencing strategy, including single-molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT), true single-molecule sequencing (tSMSTM) and the single-molecule nanopore DNA sequencing. In this review, we summarize the principle, performance and application of the SMRT sequencing technology. Compared with the traditional Sanger method and the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, the SMRT approach has several advantages, including long read length, high speed, PCR-free and the capability of direct detection of epigenetic modifications.

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The rapid advancement of next-generation sequencing technology has generated a deluge of genomic data from domesticated dogs and their wild ancestor, grey wolves, which have simultaneously broadened our understanding of domestication and diseases that are shared by humans and dogs. To address the scarcity of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data provided by authorized databases and to make SNP data more easily/friendly usable and available, we propose DoGSD (http://dogsd.big.

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