Journal of Heredity Advance Access published online on July 9, 2007
Journal of Heredity, doi:10.1093/jhered/esm049
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Hereditary Evaluation of Multiple Developmental Abnormalities in the Havanese Dog Breed
From the Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467 (Starr and Murphy); the Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8521 (Famula); the Department of Genetic Epidemiology, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (Markward); and H.E.A.R.T. Goochland, VA 23063 (Baldwin, Fowler, Klumb, and Simpson)
Address correspondence to K. E. Murphy at the address above, or e-mail: kmurphy{at}cvm.tamu.edu.
The Havanese is a toy breed that presents with a wide range of developmental abnormalities. Skeletal defects, particularly osteochondrodysplasia (OCD), are the most frequently observed anomalies. Cataracts, liver shunts, heart murmurs, and missing incisors are also common in this breed. Estimates of heritability and complex segregation analyses were carried out to evaluate modes of transmission for these abnormalities. A moderate heritability was identified and evidence for a single major locus was found. Novel statistical analysis methods were used to identify four traits that co-segregate: cataracts, hepatic abnormalities, OCD, and cardiac abnormalities. A canine-specific microarray was used to identify changes in gene expression in the liver that accompany the aforementioned developmental problems. One hundred and thirteen genes were found to be differentially regulated in the Havanese.
This paper was delivered at the 3rd International Conference on the Advances in Canine and Feline Genomics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, August 35, 2006.