Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Lactating Dogs

Genetic variations in the oxytocinergic system, known to regulate social behavior throughout the evolution of mammals, are believed to account for differences in mammalian social behavior. Particularly, polymorphic variants of the oxytocin receptor (<i>OXTR</i>) gene have been associated...

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Auteurs principaux: Asahi Ogi, Valentina Naef, Filippo Maria Santorelli, Chiara Mariti, Angelo Gazzano
Format: article
Langue:EN
Publié: MDPI AG 2021
Sujets:
dog
Accès en ligne:https://doaj.org/article/4aa7ebb9f7cf444091d431a1da233044
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Résumé:Genetic variations in the oxytocinergic system, known to regulate social behavior throughout the evolution of mammals, are believed to account for differences in mammalian social behavior. Particularly, polymorphic variants of the oxytocin receptor (<i>OXTR</i>) gene have been associated with behavioral variations in both humans and dogs. In this study, we offered evidence of the correlation between levels of salivary oxytocin (sOXT), maternal behavior and a single-nucleotide gene variant in <i>OXTR</i> (<i>rs</i>8679684) in nineteen lactating Labrador Retriever dogs. Carriers of at least one copy of the minor A allele showed higher levels of sOXT and maternal care in comparison with the homozygous T allele carriers. Considering the relevance of mother care in newborn development, these findings could help us to better understand the possible impact of variants in the <i>OXTR</i> gene in selecting dams.