The secret of Siberian huskies' piercing blue eyes: Researchers discover gene mutation is responsible in groundbreaking dog DNA study



The piercing blue eyes are caused by a gene mutation that gives the sled dog its famous hypnotising stare, according to the biggest ever DNA study of dogs.

Siberian huskies are among the most prized dogs in the world thanks to their piercing blue eyes.

And it is all down to a gene mutation that gives the iconic sled dog its famous hypnotising stare, according to new research.

It was identified after scientists compared the genomes of more than 6,000 dogs in the first study of its kind.

The much loved breed carries the variant in a section of DNA that carries genetic information known as 'canine' chromosome 18.

A duplication on canine chromosome 18 was 'strongly associated' with blue eyes in Siberian Huskies, said the US team.

The phenomenon is a major mechanism through which new genetic material is generated during molecular evolution.

Biological anthropologist Dr Aaron Sams, of Embark Veterinary, New York, said: 'The biggest surprise for me was this duplication, which primarily explains blue eyes in huskies, can also explain blue eyes in a subset of Australian shepherds that are tri-coloured (non-merle), which was until now unexplained.'

A genomic-wide association study is often used on humans to uncover DNA clues behind certain characteristics or diseases but has never been done on dogs before..

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