The mutation gene that causes dwarfism in dogs has been identified. The ITGA10 gene mutation contributes to the disease chondrodysplasia. This disease causes shorter limbs and long-term effects included bow-leggedness and disproportionate femoral heads. Scientists have identified the disease in the Karelian Bear Dog as well as the Norwegian Elkhound. Affected dogs and healthy dogs were compared in order to isolate the precise gene mutation. The ITGA10 gene is important in the process of growth in the long bones. The mutation of this gene is caused by the change in one nucleotide that prematurely ends the stop codon.
This information could not only benefit dogs but also humans. Through the analysis of the gene mutation of ITGA10, scientists could discover more about chondrodysplasia. Currently, there are few known causes about the disease. In order to prevent this disease in dogs, pet owners are permitted to have genetic screening for their dog in which they can test for the ITGA10 gene mutation. In doing this, owners could potentially stop breeding their dogs that carry the gene and eventually rid them of the mutation entirely.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130926102429.htm
Rather than just stop breeding dogs with the gene, it might even be possible to remove the problem gene and replace it. There's definitely research going on that could do just that. Though admittedly dwarf dogs are kind of cute and the dwarfism might end up being a wanted trait such as in the case of munchkin cats.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that pet owners will be willing to genetically screen their dogs in order to prevent or identify dwarfism in the animal. Humans breed dogs in order to produce pets that are visually favorable. Getting rid of dwarfism in dogs will ultimately bring an end to some breeds of dogs altogether, such as the Daschund. It would be great if dwarfism in dogs could be better controlled because it will lead to relief in some symptoms of pain that come along with dwarfism in the animal. It is interesting though that scientists are taking great care in trying to figure out how to prevent the disease in dogs because such information could then be passed on to the prevention of human dwarfism.
ReplyDeleteInformation from the research of this mutated gene could definitely prove helpful to humans. A wrote a similar article about the correlation between the development of skull structure in dogs and in human. Scientists believe that because humans and canines have such a similar genetic structure, if the genes and pathways which form different skull shapes in canines can be identified they may help us understand the cause of craniofascial deformities in humans. If genes relevant to the formation of the skull in canines can be related to similar mechanisms in humans, I believe genetic information on dwarfism could also be interlinked between dogs and people.
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