Canine diabetes mellitus: From phenotype to genotype

B. Catchpole, L. J. Kennedy, L. J. Davison, W. E R Ollier

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Breed differences in susceptibility to diabetes mellitus in dogs suggest an underlying genetic component to the pathogenesis of the disease. There is little evidence for an equivalent of human type 2 diabetes in dogs, and it has been proposed that canine diabetes is more comparable to the type 1 form of the disease. Certain immune response genes, particularly those encoding major histocompatibility complex molecules involved in antigen presentation, are important in determining susceptibility to human type 1 diabetes. We tested the hypothesis that canine major histocompatibility complex genes (known as the dog leucocyte antigen) are associated with diabetes in dogs. A total of 530 diabetic dogs and more than 1000 controls were typed for dog leucocyte antigen, and associations were found with three specific haplotypes. The DLA-DRB1*009/ DQA1*001/DQB1*008 haplotype shows the strongest association with diabetes in the UK dog population. This haplotype is common in diabetes-prone breeds (Samoyed, cairn terrier and Tibetan terrier) but rare in diabetes-resistant breeds (boxer, German shepherd dog and golden retriever), which could explain differences in the prevalence of diabetes in these different breeds. There is evidence that the DLA-DQA1*001 allele is also associated with hypothyroidism, suggesting that this could represent a common susceptibility allele for canine immune-mediated endocrinopathies. © 2007 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)4-10
    Number of pages6
    JournalJournal of Small Animal Practice
    Volume49
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2008

    Keywords

    • CANINE
    • Dogs
    • Genotype
    • Haplotypes
    • Human
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Major Histocompatibility Complex

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Canine diabetes mellitus: From phenotype to genotype'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this