Ana Pires

Prof. Dr. Ana Pires


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

24Years (2003-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
15 August 2023 in Genome Biology
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
JMJennifer Meadows
Jennifer Meadows
JKJeff Kidd
Jeff Kidd
GWGuo-Dong Wang
Guo-Dong Wang
HPHeidi G. Parker
Heidi G. Parker
PSPeter Z Schall
Peter Z Schall
Elaine OstranderElaine Ostrander
Elaine Ostrander
Background: The international Dog10K project aims to sequence and analyze several thousand canine genomes. Incorporating 20 × data from 1987 individuals, including 1611 dogs (321 breeds), 309 village dogs, 63 wolves, and four coyotes, we identify genomic variation across the canid family, setting the stage for detailed studies of domestication, behavior, morphology, disease susceptibility, and genome architecture and function. Results: We report the analysis of > 48 M single-nucleotide, indel, and structural variants spanning the autosomes, X chromosome, and mitochondria. We discover more than 75% of variation for 239 sampled breeds. Allele sharing analysis indicates that 94.9% of breeds form monophyletic clusters and 25 major clades. German Shepherd Dogs and related breeds show the highest allele sharing with independent breeds from multiple clades. On average, each breed dog differs from the UU_Cfam_GSD_1.0 reference at 26,960 deletions and 14,034 insertions greater than 50 bp, with wolves having 14% more variants. Discovered variants include retrogene insertions from 926 parent genes. To aid functional prioritization, single-nucleotide variants were annotated with SnpEff and Zoonomia phyloP constraint scores. Constrained positions were negatively correlated with allele frequency. Finally, the utility of the Dog10K data as an imputation reference panel is assessed, generating high-confidence calls across varied genotyping platform densities including for breeds not included in the Dog10K collection. Conclusions: We have developed a dense dataset of 1987 sequenced canids that reveals patterns of allele sharing, identifies likely functional variants, informs breed structure, and enables accurate imputation. Dog10K data are publicly available.

1 May 2012 in Journal of Archaeological Science
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
SDSimon J.M. Davis
Simon J.M. Davis
ESEmma M. Svensson
Emma M. Svensson
UAUmberto Albarella
Umberto Albarella
CDCleia Detry
Cleia Detry
AGAnders Nils Götherström
Anders Nils Götherström
CGCatarina Ginja
Catarina Ginja

11 May 2017 in Ecology and Evolution
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
APAna Pires
Ana Pires
IAIsabel R. Amorim
Isabel R. Amorim
CBCarla Borges
Carla Borges
FSFernanda Simões
Fernanda Simões
TTTatiana Teixeira
Tatiana Teixeira
JMJosé Matos
José Matos
This study investigates the gene pool of Portuguese autochthonous dog breeds and their wild counterpart, the Iberian wolf subspecies (Canis lupus signatus), using standard molecular markers. A combination of paternal and maternal molecular markers was used to investigate the genetic composition, genetic differentiation and genetic relationship of native Portuguese dogs and the Iberian wolf. A total of 196 unrelated dogs, including breed and village dogs from Portugal, and other dogs from Spain and North Africa, and 56 Iberian wolves (wild and captive) were analyzed for nuclear markers, namely Y chromosome SNPs, Y chromosome STR loci, autosomal STR loci, and a mitochondrial fragment of the control region I. Our data reveal new variants for the molecular markers and confirm significant genetic differentiation between Iberian wolf and native domestic dogs from Portugal. Based on our sampling, no signs of recent introgression between the two subspecies were detected. Y chromosome data do not reveal genetic differentiation among the analyzed dog breeds, suggesting they share the same patrilineal origin. Moreover, the genetic distinctiveness of the Iberian wolf from other wolf populations is further confirmed with the description of new mtDNA variants for this endemism. Our research also discloses new molecular markers for wolf and dog subspecies assignment, which might become particularly relevant in the case of forensic or noninvasive genetic studies. The Iberian wolf represents a relic of the once widespread wolf population in Europe and our study reveals that it is a reservoir of unique genetic diversity of the grey wolf, Canis lupus. These results stress the need for conservation plans that will guarantee the sustainability of this threatened top predator in Iberia.

1 June 2020 in Veterinary and Animal Science
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
APAna Pires
Ana Pires
ICIs Caldeira
Is Caldeira
FPF Petrucci-Fonseca
F Petrucci-Fonseca
IVI Viegas
I Viegas
CVCarlos Alberto Antunes Viegas
Carlos Alberto Antunes Viegas
JRJf Requicha
Jf Requicha
• Dental pathology of wild Iberian wolf was studied in 61 complete skulls and 4 mandibles from a museum collection. • Museum collections can provide crucial information about wild elusive species. • The most frequent observed abnormalities were tooth wear, periodontitis and tooth fractures. • Dental radiography is of a great importance for the diagnose and classification of the dental and periodontal conditions. • Dental radiography can be useful for the age estimation of archaeological Canis.

1 March 2018 in Quaternary International
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
APAna Pires
Ana Pires
CDCleia Detry
Cleia Detry
CFCarlos Fernandez-Rodriguez
Carlos Fernandez-Rodriguez
SVSilvia Valenzuela-Lamas
Silvia Valenzuela-Lamas
AAAna Arruda
Ana Arruda
CGCatarina Ginja
Catarina Ginja

3 May 2019 in BMC Genomics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
RFRute R da Fonseca
Rute R da Fonseca
IUIrene Ureña
Irene Ureña
SASandra Afonso
Sandra Afonso
APAna Pires
Ana Pires
EJEmil Jørsboe
Emil Jørsboe
CGCatarina Ginja
Catarina Ginja
Iberian primitive breeds exhibit a remarkable phenotypic diversity over a very limited geographical space. While genomic data are accumulating for most commercial cattle, it is still lacking for these primitive breeds. Whole genome data is key to understand the consequences of historic breed formation and the putative role of earlier admixture events in the observed diversity patterns. We sequenced 48 genomes belonging to eight Iberian native breeds and found that the individual breeds are genetically very distinct with FST values ranging from 4 to 16% and have levels of nucleotide diversity similar or larger than those of their European counterparts, namely Jersey and Holstein. All eight breeds display significant gene flow or admixture from African taurine cattle and include mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplotypes from multiple origins. Furthermore, we detected a very low differentiation of chromosome X relative to autosomes within all analyzed taurine breeds, potentially reflecting male-biased gene flow. Our results show that an overall complex history of admixture resulted in unexpectedly high levels of genomic diversity for breeds with seemingly limited geographic ranges that are distantly located from the main domestication center for taurine cattle in the Near East. This is likely to result from a combination of trading traditions and breeding practices in Mediterranean countries. We also found that the levels of differentiation of autosomes vs sex chromosomes across all studied taurine and indicine breeds are likely to have been affected by widespread breeding practices associated with male-biased gene flow.