Biology subjects

Morrill Pirovich, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Morrill Pirovich, K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Blood biomarkers and breed genetics of aging in pet dogs

Pet dogs share human-like environments while aging on a compressed timescale, making them a powerful translational model for aging research. Using genomic and phenotypic data from 7,627 dogs in the Dog Aging Project, including 976 profiled for 159 blood metabolites and clinical analytes, we generated the first GWAS catalog in dogs. Blood traits map to orthologous loci in dogs and humans, indicating deeply conserved pathways. Breed ancestry explains substantial variance in blood traits, and selection on visible characteristics such as fur type has pleiotropic metabolic effects. Leveraging mosaic ancestry in mixed-breed dogs and longitudinal mortality data, we identify blood traits elevated in short-lived breeds that predict individual mortality risk -- including globulin and potassium -- and protective traits enriched in long-lived breeds, such as ethanolamine. Although some aging-associated traits relate to growth hormone pathways, many do not, indicating that aging in dogs is multifactorial. These findings establish dogs as a translational system for identifying genetic determinants and biomarkers of aging relevant to extending healthy lifespans.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2025

Rapid Derivation of Cloning-Competent Cells from Peripheral Blood Advances Conservation Biobanking

I.Establishing viable cell lines from endangered species is essential for conservation, yet traditional fibroblast derivation from skin biopsies faces challenges including variable success rates, contamination risk, and extended culture timelines. We demonstrate that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and pericytes isolated from peripheral blood represent superior alternatives for biobanking across three mammalian genera (Canis, Bison, and Equus). Blood-derived cells exhibited 2-3 fold faster doubling rates (15-20 hours versus >35 hours for fibroblasts) and reduced time to generate banked lines from 3-4 weeks to 1.5-2 weeks. Proteomic profiling of 32 canonical markers confirmed EPCs and pericytes represent distinct populations with lineage-specific molecular signatures. Optical genome mapping demonstrated equivalent genomic stability across all cell types with no detectable structural variants or aneuploidies. Critically, interspecific somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) experiments confirmed both EPCs and pericytes generate viable embryos with efficiency meeting or exceeding fibroblasts. Gray wolf blood-derived cells produced six viable fetuses with 15% implantation rate, while bison EPCs showed higher blastocyst formation (7%) than fibroblasts (3%) from the same individual. Blood collection during routine veterinary procedures offers minimally invasive sampling with reduced contamination compared to skin biopsies. These findings support integrating blood-derived cell banking into conservation programs, enabling opportunistic genetic preservation during standard management activities and expanding options for genetic rescue through assisted reproductive technologies.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

On the ancestry and evolution of the extinct dire wolf

Dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) are extinct predators of Pleistocene North America. Although phenotypically similar to living wolves (Canis lupus), dire wolves have yet to be placed confidently in the canid family tree. We generated 3.4x and 12.8x paleogenomes from two well-preserved dire wolves dating to > 13,000 and > 72,000 years ago, and estimated consensus species trees for these and 10 canid species. Our results revealed that [~]2/3 of dire wolf ancestry is derived from a lineage sister to the clade comprising the gray wolf, coyote, and dhole, and the remaining [~]1/3 from a lineage near the base of Canini diversity. We identified 80 genes evolving under diversifying selection in dire wolves. Our results underscore the power of paleogenomes to resolve long-standing taxonomic questions and contribute to growing evidence of the role of post-speciation gene flow as an evolutionary force.

evolutionary biology↗