A study of candidate genes for day blindness in the standard wire haired dachshund.
BACKGROUND
A genetic study was performed to identify candidate genes associated with day blindness in the standard wire haired dachshund. Based on a literature review of diseases in dogs and human with phenotypes similar to day blindness, ten genes were selected and evaluated as potential candidate genes associated with day blindness in the breed.


RESULTS
Three of the genes, CNGB3, CNGA3 and GNAT2, involved in cone degeneration and seven genes and loci, ABCA4, RDH5, CORD8, CORD9, RPGRIP1, GUCY2D and CRX, reported to be involved in cone-rod dystrophies were studied. Polymorphic markers at each of the candidate loci were studied in a family with 36 informative offspring. The study revealed a high frequency of recombinations between the candidate marker alleles and the disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Since all of the markers were at the exact position of the candidate loci, and several recombinations were detected for each of the loci, all ten genes were excluded as causal for this canine, early onset cone-rod dystrophy. The described markers may, however, be useful to screen other canine resource families segregating eye diseases for association to the ten genes.
Wiik
Anne Caroline
AC
Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Division of Genetics, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PO Box 8146 Dep, 0033 Oslo, Norway. annecaroline.wiik@veths.no <annecaroline.wiik@veths.no>
Ropstad
Ernst-Otto
EO
Bjerkås
Ellen
E
Lingaas
Frode
F
D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D010375:Pedigree; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000662:veterinary*