Did the domestication of dogs influence a reshuffle in their genetic makeup?RESEARCH QUESTION;Did the domestication of dogs influence a reshuffle in their genetic makeup? did it influence a rearrangement of their genetic makeup? WHAT IS A GENE? the definition of a gene is "a distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome, the order of which determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule that a cell (or virus) can synthesize” (Oxford Online Dictionary, 2014). ). This can be understood as a component of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that determines the hereditary characteristics and/or traits of an organism. http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/genetics-aging-our-genes/how -pouvons-nous-trouver-des-genes-vieillissants- humaine nature but rather an evolutionary product of wolves, the dog's closest living relatives, which were domesticated. As wolves were domesticated to become working animals and pets, they grew and changed dramatically to fit this role and evolved at the genetic level, resulting in change in the genotypes and phenotypes that gave rise to the common domestic dogs we know. know today.DOG BREEDING; Different dog breeds have different genotypes and phenotypes which in turn give rise to different characteristics and behavior patterns, for example Labradors are social, Dalmatians are hyper and Australian Shepherds are intelligent (Scott and Fuller, 1974 ). ). All of these factors are determined by the dog's genetics, which arise from genes. Genes are passed from parent to offspring, but not all genes are passed on, only the strongest dominant genes are passed on and are clearly evident. Recessive genes from parents are...... middle of article......ies.com/definition/english/phenotype?q=phenotype [accessed March 15, 2014]http://www.dogbreedinfo .com/inbreeding.htm [accessed March 15, 2014]http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Selective_Breeding [accessed March 15, 2014]http://www.research.psu.edu/arp/research -reviews/ultra- deep sequencing of mouse mitochondrial DNA mutation patterns and their origins/image/image_view_fullscreen [accessed March 15, 2014] 1979 Oxford University Press Belyaev, DK Destabilizing selection as a factor in domestication . Journal of Heredity 70, 301-308 (1979). Adams, J. (2008) Genetics of Dog Breeding. Nature Education 1(1):144"-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">Dog Genetics Reproduction | Learn science at Scitable