Tissue- and age-dependent expression of the bovine DEFB103 gene and protein.

Beta-defensin 103 (DEFB103) shares little homology with 8 other members of the bovine beta-defensin family and in other species DEFB103 protein has diverse functions, including antimicrobial activity, a chemoattractant for dendritic cells, enhancing epithelial wound repair and regulating hair colour. Expression of the bovine DEFB103 gene was surveyed in 27 tissues and transcript was most abundant in tissues with stratified squamous epithelium. Oral cavity epithelial tissues and nictitating membrane consistently expressed high levels of DEFB103 gene transcript. An age-dependent decrease (P < 0.05) in DEFB103 gene expression was only observed for buccal epithelium when comparing healthy 10- to 14-day-old and 10- to 12-month-old calves. A bovine herpesvirus-1 respiratory infection did, however, significantly (P < 0.05) up-regulate DEFB103 gene expression in the buccal epithelium of 6- to 8-month-old calves. Finally, DEFB103 transcript was low in lymph nodes draining the skin and at the limit of detection in other internal organs such as lung, intestine and kidney. Affinity-purified rabbit antisera to bovine DEFB103 was used to identify cells expressing DEFB103 protein within tissues with stratified squamous epitheliums. DEFB103 protein was most abundant in basal epithelial cells and was present in these cells prior to birth. Beta-defensins have been identified as regulators of dendritic cell (DC) chemokine responses and we observed a close association between DCs and epithelial cells expressing DEFB103 in both the fetus and newborn calf. In conclusion, bovine DEFB103 gene expression is most abundant in stratified squamous epithelium with DEFB103 protein localised to basal epithelial cells. These observations are consistent with proposed roles for DEFB103 in DC recruitment and repair of stratified squamous epithelium.

A Missense Mutation in SLC45A2 Is Associated with Albinism in Several Small Long Haired Dog Breeds.

Homozygosity for a large deletion in the solute carrier family 45, member 2 (SLC45A2) gene causes oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) in the Doberman Pinscher breed. An albino Lhasa Apso did not have this g.27141_31223del (CanFam2) deletion in her SLC45A2 sequence. Therefore, SLC45A2 was investigated in this female Lhasa Apso to search for other possible variants that caused her albinism. The albino Lhasa Apso was homozygous for a nonsynonymous substitution in the seventh exon, a c.1478G>A base change that resulted in a glycine to aspartic acid substitution (p.G493D). This mutation was not found in a wolf, a coyote, or any of the 15 other Lhasa Apso dogs or 32 other dogs of breeds related to the Lhasa Apso. However, an albino Pekingese, 2 albino Pomeranians, and an albino mixed breed dog that was small and long haired were also homozygous for the 493D allele. The colored puppies of the albino Lhasa Apso and the colored dam of the 2 albino Pomeranians were heterozygous for this allele. However, an albino Pug was homozygous for the 493G allele and therefore although we suggest the 493D allele causes albinism when homozygous in several small, long haired dog breeds, it does not explain all albinism in dogs. A variant effect prediction for the albino Lhasa Apso confirms that p.G493D is a deleterious substitution, and a topology prediction for SLC45A2 suggests that the 11th transmembrane domain where the 493rd amino acid was located, has an altered structure.

Identification of a new non-coding exon and haplotype variability in the cattle DEFB103 gene.

The DEFB103 gene is a member of the ß-defensin gene family. In this study, we applied multiple sets of primers to characterize the DEFB103 transcript. RT-PCR was used to determine the cDNA boundaries and it indicated that the cDNA start point is at least 514 bp before the start codon and not further than 678 bp. In addition, the length of the 3'UTR was determined to be at least 53 bp after the stop codon. Seven SNPs were located in the 5'UTR, and comprised 4 different haplotypes in genomic DNA. Using these haplotype data, it could be proven that at least two complete copies of DEFB103 with an ATG start codon are present in cDNA in most cattle. Additionally haplotype data indicated that there are also multiple incomplete copies in most cattle. A non-coding exon 1a, and a 261 bp intron 1a were identified in cattle, and subsequently predicted in sheep and goats. DEFB103 sequence assemblies and partial cloning sequences revealed two types of deletion (4 bp and 8 bp) in the 5'UTR. These observations could prove that these copies are not assembly artifact.

An analysis of the inheritance pattern of an adult-onset hearing loss in Border Collie dogs.

BACKGROUND: During routine diagnostic BAER testing of dogs of various breeds for private owners at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, it became evident that some individual dogs developed hearing loss as adults. Although inherited congenital deafness has been widely reported in dogs, this type of deafness had not. FINDINGS: Special clinics were set up to screen working Border Collies at herding competitions. To determine the typical age that geriatric deafness might be expected, retired dogs were also recruited. Five of the 10 Border Collies 12 years of age or older had hearing loss (1 bilaterally deaf and 4 had reduced hearing). The adult onset deafness which exhibited in three families, did not usually occur until 5 years of age, too young to be geriatric deafness. This adult onset deafness fits an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Several of these dogs had been BAER tested at younger ages with no sign of deafness. The deaf dogs were not associated with either gender. A survey was developed which was completed by the dog owners, that indicated that the hearing loss was gradual, not sudden. In addition, some family studies were conducted. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs at 5 years of age were often in the prime of their herding careers and then did not respond appropriately to distant commands. This type of deafness is important to dog owners but is also a potential medical model for some forms of hearing loss in humans. This report also suggests that geriatric hearing loss is common in dogs older than 12 years.

Identification of a mutation that is associated with the saddle tan and black-and-tan phenotypes in Basset Hounds and Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

The causative mutation for the black-and-tan (a (t) ) phenotype in dogs was previously shown to be a SINE insertion in the 5' region of Agouti Signaling Protein (ASIP). Dogs with the black-and-tan phenotype, as well as dogs with the saddle tan phenotype, genotype as a (t) /_ at this locus. We have identified a 16-bp duplication (g.1875_1890dupCCCCAGGTCAGAGTTT) in an intron of hnRNP associated with lethal yellow (RALY), which segregates with the black-and-tan phenotype in a group of 99 saddle tan and black-and-tan Basset Hounds and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. In these breeds, all dogs with the saddle tan phenotype had RALY genotypes of +/+ or +/dup, whereas dogs with the black-and-tan phenotype were homozygous for the duplication. The presence of an a (y) /_ fawn or e/e red genotype is epistatic to the +/_ saddle tan genotype. Genotypes from 10 wolves and 1 coyote indicated that the saddle tan (+) allele is the ancestral allele, suggesting that black-and-tan is a modification of saddle tan. An additional 95 dogs from breeds that never have the saddle tan phenotype have all three of the possible RALY genotypes. We suggest that a multi-gene interaction involving ASIP, RALY, MC1R, DEFB103, and a yet-unidentified modifier gene is required for expression of saddle tan.

Interaction of MC1R and PMEL alleles on solid coat colors in Highland cattle.

Six solid colors occur in Highland cattle: black, dun, silver dun and red, yellow, and white. These six coat colors are explained by a non-epistatic interaction of the genotypes at the MC1R and PMEL genes. A three base pair deletion in the PMEL gene leading to the deletion of a leucine from the signal peptide is observed in dilute-colored Highland cattle (c.50_52delTTC, p.Leu18del). The mutant PMEL allele acts in a semi-dominant manner. Dun Galloway cattle also have one copy of the deletion allele, and silver dun Galloway cattle have two copies. The presence of two adjacent leucine residues at the site of this deletion is highly conserved in human, horse, mouse and chicken as well as in cattle with undiluted coat colors. Highland and Galloway cattle thus exhibit a similar dose-dependent dilution effect based on the number of PMEL :c.50_51delTTC alleles, as Charolais cattle with PMEL :c.64G>A alleles. The PMEL :c.64G>A allele was not found in Highland or Galloway cattle.

Coat color DNA testing in dogs: theory meets practice.

DNA tests to detect particular dog coat color alleles are in use in several DNA diagnostic laboratories. The original two genes studied were MC1R and TYRP1 and therefore these tests have been used most widely, and for the longest period of time. The original research was conducted to determine the mutation associated with a particular phenotype in one to a few dog breeds, and was subsequently expanded to include more dog breeds. The application of this testing now includes an even wider range of dog breeds, some of which would not have been expected to have some of the alleles detected. This retrospective study demonstrates that a DNA test may be designed for a particular application, but is used by clients for additional applications that were not originally anticipated. A robust protocol with DNA obtained by cheek brushes and interchanges among dog owners via the internet, have likely lead to this expanded use by clients.

A case of canine chimerism diagnosed using coat color tests.

Through the use of PCR based coat color tests, we were able to diagnose a dog that exhibits an unusual coat color phenotype as an XX/XX chimera. Coat color alleles vary widely among dog breeds, presenting a novel method for detecting chimerism using diagnostic tests for known coat color alleles.

A SINE insertion causes the black-and-tan and saddle tan phenotypes in domestic dogs.

Agouti Signaling Protein (ASIP) controls the localized expression of red and black pigment in the domestic dog through interaction with other genes, such as Melanocortin 1 Receptor and Beta-Defensin 103. Specific ASIP alleles are necessary for many of the coat color patterns, such as black-and-tan and saddle tan. Mutations in 2 ASIP alleles, a(y) and a, have previously been identified. Here, we characterize a mutation consisting of a short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) insertion in intron 1 of ASIP that allows for the differentiation of the a(w) wolf sable and a(t) black-and-tan alleles. The SINE insertion is present in dogs with the a(t) and a alleles but absent from dogs with the a(w) and a(y) alleles. Dogs with the saddle tan phenotype were all a(t)/a(t). Schnauzers were all a(w)/a(w). Genotypes of 201 dogs of 35 breeds suggest that there are only 4 ASIP alleles, as opposed to the 5 or 6 predicted in previous literature. These data demonstrate that the dominance hierarchy of ASIP is a(y) > a(w) > a(t) > a.

A new mutation in MC1R explains a coat color phenotype in 2 "old" breeds: Saluki and Afghan hound.

Melanocortin 1 Receptor (MC1R) has been studied in a wide variety of domestic animals (Klungland et al. 1995; Marklund et al. 1996; Våge et al. 1997; Kijas et al. 1998; Newton et al. 2000; Våge et al. 2003), and also several wild animals (Robbins et al. 1993; Ritland et al. 2001; Eizirik et al. 2003; Nachman et al. 2003; McRobie et al. 2009) in relation to coat color variation. A variety of phenotypic changes have been reported including coat colors from pure black to pure red, as well as some phenotypes with hairs with red and black bands. One phenotype, called grizzle in Salukis and domino in Afghan Hounds, appears to be unique to these 2 old dog breeds. This pattern is characterized by a pale face with a widow's peak above the eyes. The body hairs on the dorsal surface of Salukis and Afghan Hounds have both phaeomelanin and eumelanin portions, even though they had an a(t)/a(t) genotype at ASIP. In addition, all had at least one copy of a newly identified mutation in MC1R, g.233G>T, resulting in p.Gly78Val. This new allele, that we suggest be designated as E(G), is dominant to the E and e (p.Arg306ter) alleles at MC1R but recessive to the E(M) (p.Met264Val) allele. The K(B) allele (p.Gly23del) at DEFB103 and the a(y) allele (p.Ala82Ser and p.Arg83His) of ASIP are epistatic to grizzle and domino.

A -defensin mutation causes black coat color in domestic dogs.

Genetic analysis of mammalian color variation has provided fundamental insight into human biology and disease. In most vertebrates, two key genes, Agouti and Melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r), encode a ligand-receptor system that controls pigment type-switching, but in domestic dogs, a third gene is implicated, the K locus, whose genetic characteristics predict a previously unrecognized component of the melanocortin pathway. We identify the K locus as beta-defensin 103 (CBD103) and show that its protein product binds with high affinity to the Mc1r and has a simple and strong effect on pigment type-switching in domestic dogs and transgenic mice. These results expand the functional role of beta-defensins, a protein family previously implicated in innate immunity, and identify an additional class of ligands for signaling through melanocortin receptors.

Agouti sequence polymorphisms in coyotes, wolves and dogs suggest hybridization.

Domestic dogs have been shown to have multiple alleles of the Agouti Signal Peptide (ASIP) in exon 4 and we wished to determine the level of polymorphism in the common wild canids of Canada, wolves and coyotes, in comparison. All Canadian coyotes and most wolves have banded hairs. The ASIP coding sequence of the wolf did not vary from the domestic dog but one variant was detected in exon 4 of coyotes that did not alter the arginine at this position. Two other differences were found in the sequence flanking exon 4 of coyotes compared with the 45 dogs and 1 wolf. The coyotes also demonstrated a relatively common polymorphism in the 3' UTR sequence that could be used for population studies. One of the ASIP alleles (R96C) in domestic dogs causes a solid black coat color in homozygotes. Although some wolves are melanistic, this phenotype does not appear to be caused by this same mutation. However, one wolf, potentially a dog-wolf hybrid or descendant thereof, was heterozygous for this allele. Likewise 2 coyotes, potentially dog-coyote or wolf-coyote hybrid descendants, were heterozygous for the several polymorphisms in and flanking exon 4. We could conclude that these were coyote-dog hybrids because both were heterozygous for 2 mutations causing fawn coat color in dogs.

The genetics of cream coat color in dogs.

Cream dogs of several breeds require a genotype of e/e at MC1R based on 27 individuals in this study. All Akita, Caucasian Mountain Dogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Miniature Schnauzer, and Puli with this genotype are cream, suggesting they are fixed at a second locus which causes the phaeomelanin pigmentation caused by this genotype to be diluted or pale. Conversely, although all Chinese Shar-Pei and Poodles that were cream had an e/e genotype at MC1R, not all dogs with this genotype are cream. Today, many Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers with an e/e genotype are cream instead of the traditional yellow to golden color seen in the past. The second gene in these breeds must have multiple alleles, only one of which causes phaeomelanin pigment to be diluted or pale. Tyrosinase (TYR) and solute carrier family 45, member 2 (SLC45A2) have been shown to cause cream coat color in other species and were therefore investigated in dogs as candidate genes for this second locus. Although polymorphisms were detected in cDNA sequence from TYR and SLC45A2, no polymorphism was consistently associated with cream dogs or cosegregated with cream coat color in any of the families used in this study. A microsatellite was detected in a published BAC sequence (GenBank no. AAEX01017083) in intron 2 and was used to map SLC45A2 to CFA4.

Linkage and segregation analysis of black and brindle coat color in domestic dogs.

Mutations of pigment type switching have provided basic insight into melanocortin physiology and evolutionary adaptation. In all vertebrates that have been studied to date, two key genes, Agouti and Melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r), encode a ligand-receptor system that controls the switch between synthesis of red-yellow pheomelanin vs. black-brown eumelanin. However, in domestic dogs, historical studies based on pedigree and segregation analysis have suggested that the pigment type-switching system is more complicated and fundamentally different from other mammals. Using a genomewide linkage scan on a Labrador x greyhound cross segregating for black, yellow, and brindle coat colors, we demonstrate that pigment type switching is controlled by an additional gene, the K locus. Our results reveal three alleles with a dominance order of black (K(B)) > brindle (k(br)) > yellow (k(y)), whose genetic map position on dog chromosome 16 is distinct from the predicted location of other pigmentation genes. Interaction studies reveal that Mc1r is epistatic to variation at Agouti or K and that the epistatic relationship between Agouti and K depends on the alleles being tested. These findings suggest a molecular model for a new component of the melanocortin signaling pathway and reveal how coat-color patterns and pigmentary diversity have been shaped by recent selection.

Black hair follicular dysplasia in Large Münsterländer dogs: clinical, histological and ultrastructural features.

Four Large Münsterländer cross-bred dogs affected with black hair follicular dysplasia (BHFD) and one unaffected control littermate were observed, and skin was sampled weekly over the first 19 weeks of life. Affected dogs were born with silvery grey hair, a consequence of melanin clumping in the hair shafts. Hair bulb melanocytes were densely pigmented, and contained abundant stage IV melanosomes but adjacent matrix keratinocytes lacked melanosomes. Melanin clumping was not prominent in epidermal melanocytes in the haired skin but occurred in the foot pads. Follicular changes progressed from bulbar clumping, clumping in the isthmus/infundibulum and finally to dysplastic hair shafts. Alopecia developed progressively in pigmented areas. Silver-grey hair, melanin clumping, accumulation of stage IV melanosomes within melanocytes and insufficient melanin transfer to adjacent keratinocytes are also classic features of human Griscelli syndrome. The underlying cause in Griscelli syndrome is a defect of melanocytic intracellular transport proteins leading to inadequate and disorganized melanosome transfer to keratinocytes with resultant melanin clumping. In view of the correlation in the phenotype, histology and ultrastructure between both disorders, a defect in intracellular melanosome transport is postulated as the pathogenic mechanism in BHFD.

Fatty acid composition of muscle fat and enzymes of storage lipid synthesis in whole muscle from beef cattle.

Enhanced intramuscular fat content (i.e., marbling) in beef is a desirable trait, which can result in increased product value. This study was undertaken with the aim of revealing biochemical factors associated with the marbling trait in beef cattle. Samples of longissimus lumborum (LL) and pars costalis diaphragmatis (PCD) were taken from a group of intact crossbred males and females at slaughter, lipids extracted, and the resulting FAME examined for relationships with marbling fat deposition. For LL, significant associations were found between degree of marbling and myristic (14:0, r = 0.55, P < 0.01), palmitic (16:0, r = 0.80, P < 0.001), stearic (18:0, r = -0.58, P < 0.01), and oleic (18:1c-9, r = 0.79, P < 0.001) acids. For PCD, significant relationships were found between marbling and palmitic (r = 0.71, P < 0.001) and oleic (r = 0.74, P < 0.001) acids. Microsomal fractions prepared from PCD muscle were assayed for diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT), and phosphatidic acid phosphatase-1 (PAP-1) activity, and the results examined for relationships with degree of intramuscular fat deposition. None of the enzyme activities from PCD displayed an association with marbling fat content, but DGAT specific activity showed significant positive associations with LPAAT (r = 0.54, P < 0.01), total PAP (r = 0.66, P < 0.001), and PAP-1 (r = 0.63, P < 0.01) specific activities. The results on FA compositions of whole muscle tissues provide insight into possible enzyme action associated with the production of specific FA. The increased proportion of oleic acid associated with enhanced lipid content of whole muscle is noteworthy given the known health benefits of this FA.

Polymorphisms within the canine MLPH gene are associated with dilute coat color in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Pinschers and other dogs with coat color dilution show a characteristic pigmentation phenotype. The fur colors are a lighter shade, e.g. silvery grey (blue) instead of black and a sandy color (Isabella fawn) instead of red or brown. In some dogs the coat color dilution is sometimes accompanied by hair loss and recurrent skin inflammation, the so called color dilution alopecia (CDA) or black hair follicular dysplasia (BHFD). In humans and mice a comparable pigmentation phenotype without any documented hair loss is caused by mutations within the melanophilin gene (MLPH). RESULTS: We sequenced the canine MLPH gene and performed a mutation analysis of the MLPH exons in 6 Doberman Pinschers and 5 German Pinschers. A total of 48 sequence variations was identified within and between the breeds. Three families of dogs showed co-segregation for at least one polymorphism in an MLPH exon and the dilute phenotype. No single polymorphism was identified in the coding sequences or at splice sites that is likely to be causative for the dilute phenotype of all dogs examined. In 18 German Pinschers a mutation in exon 7 (R199H) was consistently associated with the dilute phenotype. However, as this mutation was present in homozygous state in four dogs of other breeds with wildtype pigmentation, it seems unlikely that this mutation is truly causative for coat color dilution. In Doberman Pinschers as well as in Large Munsterlanders with BHFD, a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) around exon 2 was identified that show a highly significant association to the dilute phenotype. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that coat color dilution is caused by one or more mutations within or near the MLPH gene in several dog breeds. The data on polymorphisms that are strongly associated with the dilute phenotype will allow the genetic testing of Pinschers to facilitate the breeding of dogs with defined coat colors and to select against Large Munsterlanders carrying BHFD.

Association of an Agouti allele with fawn or sable coat color in domestic dogs.

The type of pigment synthesized in mammalian hair, yellow-red pheomelanin or black-brown eumelanin, depends on the interaction between Agouti protein and the Melanocortin 1 receptor. Although the genetics of pigmentation is broadly conserved across most mammalian species, pigment type-switching in domestic dogs is unusual because a yellow-tan coat with variable amounts of dark hair is thought to be caused by an allele of the Agouti locus referred to as fawn or sable (a(y)). In a large survey covering thirty seven breeds, we identified an Agouti allele with two missense alterations, A82S and R83H, which was present (heterozygous or homozygous) in 41 dogs (22 breeds) with a fawn or sable coat, but was absent from 16 dogs (8 breeds) with a black-and-tan or tricolor phenotype. In an additional 33 dogs (14 breeds) with a eumelanic coat, 8 (German Shepherd Dogs, Groenendaels, Schipperkes, or Shetland Sheepdogs) were homozygous for a previously reported mutation, non-agouti R96C; the remainder are likely to have carried dominant black, which is independent of and epistatic to Agouti. This work resolves some of the complexity in dog coat color genetics and provides diagnostic opportunities and practical guidelines for breeders.

Characterization of the dog Agouti gene and a nonagoutimutation in German Shepherd Dogs.

The interaction between two genes, Agouti and Melanocortin-1 receptor ( Mc1r), produces diverse pigment patterns in mammals by regulating the type, amount, and distribution pattern of the two pigment types found in mammalian hair: eumelanin (brown/black) and pheomelanin (yellow/red). In domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris), there is a tremendous variation in coat color patterns between and within breeds; however, previous studies suggest that the molecular genetics of pigment-type switching in dogs may differ from that of other mammals. Here we report the identification and characterization of the Agouti gene from domestic dogs, predicted to encode a 131-amino-acid secreted protein 98% identical to the fox homolog, and which maps to chromosome CFA24 in a region of conserved linkage. Comparative analysis of the Doberman Pinscher Agouti cDNA, the fox cDNA, and 180 kb of Doberman Pinscher genomic DNA suggests that, as with laboratory mice, different pigment-type-switching patterns in the canine family are controlled by alternative usage of different promoters and untranslated first exons. A small survey of Labrador Retrievers, Greyhounds, Australian Shepherds, and German Shepherd Dogs did not uncover any polymorphisms, but we identified a single nucleotide variant in black German Shepherd Dogs predicted to cause an Arg-to-Cys substitution at codon 96, which is likely to account for recessive inheritance of a uniform black coat.

A form of albinism in cattle is caused by a tyrosinase frameshift mutation.

We used PCR amplification of cDNA prepared from skin biopsies to determine the full-length protein-coding sequence of tyrosinase ( TYR) in cattle of several coat colors. An insertion of a cytosine was detected in an albino Braunvieh calf, which resulted in a frameshift which caused a premature stop codon at residue 316. This insertion was found in the homozygous state in this calf and the genomic DNA of two related albino calves. All six parents of these calves were heterozygous for this insertion. However, an albino Holstein calf did not have this insertion, nor was any other mutation detected in the partial TYR sequence obtained from the genomic DNA available. Diagnostic genotyping tests were developed to detect this mutation in Braunvieh cattle.