Korea-Japan research team completes first full genome sequencing of ancient dogs from Korean Peninsula

A map from a recent study shows the lineage of dogs from the Korean Peninsula. According to the map, early Korean dogs belonged to a distinct genetic lineage separate from other East Asian dog populations. Dogs and wolves also continued to interbreed long after domestication. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

 

A joint research team from Korea and Japan completed the first full genome sequencing of ancient dogs from the Korean Peninsula, uncovering evidence that early Korean dogs belong to a distinct genetic lineage separate from other East Asian dog populations and that dogs and wolves continued to interbreed long after domestication, according to the Korea Heritage Service on Thursday.

 

The findings — made by the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the Conservation Science Division of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (Nrich), the Seokdang Museum of Dong-A University and Japan’s Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai — were published in the international academic journal PLOS One.

 


 

The researchers extracted DNA using next-generation sequencing — a technology capable of reading large quantities of DNA simultaneously to reconstruct entire genomes — in a dedicated ancient DNA cleanroom at Nrich’s Conservation Science Division and were able to recover complete genetic profiles from remains that were approximately 2,000 years old.

 

The remains belonged to four ancient dogs and had been excavated from two archaeological sites: the Neukdo site in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, and the Bonghwang-dong site in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang. From these samples, the researchers said they successfully reconstructed complete genomes, a first for ancient Korean canine research.

 

According to the study, the genetic characteristics of ancient Korean dogs most closely resemble those of the Australian dingo and the New Guinea singing dog, a highland canine known for its distinctive wolf-like howl, but were not identical to either group.

 

The results also confirm that ancient Korean dogs likely represent their own distinct lineage, challenging the long-held assumption that East Asian dogs form a single, unified population. Instead, the evidence indicates the existence of several separate lineages across the region.

 

Additionally, Western-origin genes, traced to European and other dog populations, were detected in the DNA of ancient Korean dogs. This proportion was notably higher in dogs from later periods than in those from before the Common Era, indicating that the genetic exchange between Eastern and Western Eurasian dog populations has been occurring for thousands of years.

 

Comparison of relationships between ancient Korean dogs and other regions’ dogs [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

 

This finding has direct implications regarding our understanding of modern Korean breeds. Native dogs such as the Jindo and Sapsari are known to carry a relatively high proportion of Western-lineage genes. The study suggests that the proportion was once much lower and increased gradually over time, meaning the genetic makeup of Korean dogs today is the product of long and complex interbreeding across diverse populations.

 

The study also found evidence of gene flow between ancient Korean dogs and wolf populations. 

 

Analysis of DNA composition ratios of ancient and modern Korean dogs [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

 

The ancient dogs have the closest genetic relationship with the Japanese wolf, or the Canis lupus hodophilax, a now-extinct subspecies that once inhabited Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku. The Japanese wolf is recognized as the smallest known wolf subspecies, with its last confirmed individual recorded in Nara in 1905. The researchers also found evidence of gene exchange between wolf populations in Korea and China.

 

According to the researchers, this information demonstrates that dogs and wolves did not diverge cleanly after domestication but continued to influence each other’s gene pools across time and geography.

 

A scientist conducts a genome analysis of ancient dogs from the Korean Peninsula at Japan’s Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Sokendai in Kanagawa, Japan. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

The Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has established a laboratory dedicated to the study of ancient human and animal bones at the Natural Heritage Center in Gimhae, where it conducts ongoing scientific research on remains from across the Gaya cultural sphere. The ancient dog genome project is among that laboratory’s core research efforts.

 

The team plans to expand its work by obtaining Neolithic dog genome data to trace the formation and evolution of the Korean Peninsula’s dog lineage back even further, potentially shedding new light on the deep history of domestication in East Asia.

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]