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Originally published in Science Express on 5 February 2009
Science 6 March 2009:
Vol. 323. no. 5919, pp. 1339 - 1343
DOI: 10.1126/science.1165448
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Reports

Molecular and Evolutionary History of Melanism in North American Gray Wolves

Tovi M. Anderson,1 Bridgett M. vonHoldt,2 Sophie I. Candille,1 Marco Musiani,3 Claudia Greco,4 Daniel R. Stahler,2,5 Douglas W. Smith,5 Badri Padhukasahasram,6 Ettore Randi,4 Jennifer A. Leonard,7 Carlos D. Bustamante,6 Elaine A. Ostrander,8 Hua Tang,1 Robert K. Wayne,2 Gregory S. Barsh1*

Morphological diversity within closely related species is an essential aspect of evolution and adaptation. Mutations in the Melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r) gene contribute to pigmentary diversity in natural populations of fish, birds, and many mammals. However, melanism in the gray wolf, Canis lupus, is caused by a different melanocortin pathway component, the K locus, that encodes a beta-defensin protein that acts as an alternative ligand for Mc1r. We show that the melanistic K locus mutation in North American wolves derives from past hybridization with domestic dogs, has risen to high frequency in forested habitats, and exhibits a molecular signature of positive selection. The same mutation also causes melanism in the coyote, Canis latrans, and in Italian gray wolves, and hence our results demonstrate how traits selected in domesticated species can influence the morphological diversity of their wild relatives.

1 Departments of Genetics and Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 91302, USA.
3 Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
4 Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy.
5 Yellowstone Center for Resources, National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA.
6 Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
7 Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden.
8 National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: gbarsh{at}stanford.edu

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