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Floppy ears

Dogs have floppy ears because neural crest cells, which differentiate into various body parts during development, are repressed in domesticated dogs, affecting their ears, skull, brain, and facial and chest fur.

Affected Genes: GRIP1, MSRB3

Inheritance: Complex Inheritance

General Information: Dogs have floppy ears due to cartilage, which is derived from neural crest cells. These stem cells differentiate into different parts of the body as an animal develops in the womb, but in domesticated dogs, they are repressed so they can't spread throughout the body. This can affect the ears, skull, brain, and facial and chest fur.

References:
Heinrich J, Berger C, Berger B, Hecht W, Phillips C, Parson W. The LASSIE MPS panel: Predicting externally visible traits in dogs for forensic purposes. Forensic Science International: Genetics 2023 66:102893.

Plassais J, Kim J, Davis BW, Karyadi DM, Hogan AN, Harris AC, Decker B, Parker HG, and Ostrander EA. Whole genome sequencing of canids reveals genomic regions under selection and variants influencing morphology. Nat Commun. 2019;10(1):1489.