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Breed Pred ispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats, Third Edition provides a comprehensive exploration of current knowledge of breed predispositions based on rigorous examination of primary research. * Incorporates the latest research, new testing methods, and newly-discovered predispositions and diseases * Provides expanded information on genetics, epidemiology, and longevity * Includes key characteristics of diseases, including pathogenesis, genetics, risks, and common presentations * Indexes dogs and cats by breed, with listings of common inherited and predisposed disorders organized by body system * Includes absolute and relative frequency/occurrence data for conditions, along with references to further information

Genetic testing for dogs is big business. It is too easy for companies to sell false hope, warn Lisa Moses, Steve Niemi and Elinor Karlsson. They call for regulation. Genetic testing for dogs is big business. It is too easy for companies to sell false hope, warn Lisa Moses, Steve Niemi and Elinor Karlsson. They call for regulation.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in domestic cats, often leading to congestive heart failure and death, with current treatment strategies unable to reverse or prevent progression of the disease. The underlying pathological processes driving HCM remain unclear, which hinders novel drug discovery. The aim of this study was to generate a cellular model of the feline HCM-causing MYBPC3 mutation R820W. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing we introduced the R820W mutation into a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line. We differentiated both homozygous mutant clones and isogenic control clones to cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Protein quantification indicated that haploinsufficiency is not the disease mechanism of the mutation. Homozygous mutant iPSC-CMs had a larger cell area than isogenic controls, with the sarcomere structure and incorporation of cMyBP-C appearing similar between mutant and control iPSC-CMs. Contraction kinetic analysis indicated that homozygous iPSC-CMs have impaired relaxation and are hypocontractile compared to isogenic control iPSC-CMs. In summary, we demonstrate successful generation of an iPSC model of a feline MYBPC3 mutation, with the cellular model recapitulating aspects of HCM including cellular hypertrophy and impaired relaxation kinetics. We anticipate that further study of this model will lead to improved understanding of the disease-causing molecular mechanism, ultimately leading to novel drug discovery.

Leptospirosis is an important worldwide zoonosis. This disease is caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira which are maintained in the environment via chronic renal infection of carrier animals which can be asymptomatic excretors of the organisms in their urines and become a source of infection for humans and other hosts. The prevalence of animal leptospirosis in Algiers, Algeria, is unknown. Real-time PCR and standard PCR and sequencing were used to detect pathogenic Leptospira organisms in the urines of stray dogs and cats in Algiers. In the presence of appropriate controls, none of the 107 cat urine samples were positive while 5/104 (4.8%) canine urine samples (asymptomatic mixed-breed dogs, three females and two males) were positive in two real-time PCR assays targeting the rrs and hsp genes. The positivity of these samples was confirmed by partial PCR-sequencing of the rpoB gene which yielded 100% sequence similarity with Leptospira interrogans reference sequence. In this study, L. interrogans prevalence was significantly higher in dogs aged < one year (16.46% - 29.41%) than in adults (0%) (P value = 0.0001) and then in the overall dog population (2.68% - 4.8%) (P = 0.0007). These results suggest that dogs are maintenance hosts for zoonotic leptospirosis in Algiers, Algeria. To face this situation, effective canine vaccination strategies and raising public health awareness are mandatory. Further investigations incorporating a larger sample in more localities will be undertaken to document the epidemiology of urban animal leptospirosis in Algeria at large.

Cardiomyopathies are the most common heritable heart diseases in cats and humans. This study aimed to identify novel genetic variants in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) using a targeted panel of genes associated with human cardiomyopathy. Cats were phenotyped for HCM/RCM by echocardiography ± necropsy. DNA was extracted from residual blood, and targeted next-generation sequencing was performed on two separate feline cohorts: an across-breed cohort (23 healthy cats and 21 HCM-affected pedigree or Domestic Shorthair cats), and a within-breed cohort of Birman pedigree cats (14 healthy, 8 HCM-affected, and 6 RCM-affected). Genome Analysis Toolkit was used for variant discovery. Genomic association analyses, including the covariates breed, age, and sex, were conducted to identify genetic variants of interest. We identified genetic variants associated with both HCM and RCM susceptibility in the sarcomeric genes ACTC1 , ACTN2 , MYH7 , TNNT2 and the non-sarcomeric gene CSRP3 in the Birman pedigree cats. These findings suggest that, as proposed in humans, there is at least partial overlap in the genetic background between the HCM and RCM phenotypes in cats. These findings offer potential insights for comparative cardiac research and translational medicine.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant oral tumor in cats. The late presentation is one of the factors contributing to the detrimental prognosis of this disease. The immunohistochemical expression of the p53 tumor suppressor protein has been reported in 24% to 65% of feline oral squamous cell carcinomas, but no study has systematically evaluated in this tumor the presence of p53 encoding gene (TP53) mutations. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether p53 immunohistochemistry accurately reflects the mutational status of the TP53 gene in feline oral squamous cell carcinoma. Additionally, the prevalence of p53 dysregulation in feline oral squamous cell carcinoma was compared with that of feline non-neoplastic oral mucosa, in order to investigate the relevance of these dysregulations in cancer development. The association between p53 dysregulations and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and tumor characteristics was further assessed. Twenty-six incisional biopsies of oral squamous cell carcinomas and 10 cases each of lingual eosinophilic granuloma, chronic gingivostomatitis and normal oral mucosa were included in the study. Eighteen squamous cell carcinomas (69%) expressed p53 and 18 had mutations in exons 5-8 of TP53. The agreement between immunohistochemistry and mutation analysis was 77%. None of non-neoplastic oral mucosa samples had a positive immunohistochemical staining, while one case each of eosinophilic granuloma and chronic gingivostomatitis harbored TP53 mutations. Unlike previously hypothesized, p53 dysregulations were not associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. These results suggest an important role of p53 in feline oral tumorigenesis. Additionally, the immunohistochemical detection of p53 expression appears to reflect the presence of TP53 mutations in the majority of cases. It remains to be determined if the screening for p53 dysregulations, alone or in association with other markers, can eventually contribute to the early detection of this devastating disease.

The amyloidoses constitute a group of diseases occurring in humans and animals that are characterized by abnormal deposits of aggregated proteins in organs, affecting their structure and function. In the Abyssinian cat breed, a familial form of renal amyloidosis has been described. In this study, multi-omics analyses were applied and integrated to explore some aspects of the unknown pathogenetic processes in cats. Whole-genome sequences of two affected Abyssinians and 195 controls of other breeds (part of the 99 Lives initiative) were screened to prioritize potential disease-associated variants. Proteome and miRNAome from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded kidney specimens of fully necropsied Abyssinian cats, three affected and three non-amyloidosis-affected were characterized. While the trigger of the disorder remains unclear, overall, (i) 35,960 genomic variants were detected; (ii) 215 and 56 proteins were identified as exclusive or overexpressed in the affected and control kidneys, respectively; (iii) 60 miRNAs were differentially expressed, 20 of which are newly described. With omics data integration, the general conclusions are: (i) the familial amyloid renal form in Abyssinians is not a simple monogenic trait; (ii) amyloid deposition is not triggered by mutated amyloidogenic proteins but is a mix of proteins codified by wild-type genes; (iii) the form is biochemically classifiable as AA amyloidosis.

The kidneys are one of the primary organs affected by amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis in mixed-breed cats. The distribution of amyloid deposits within the kidneys varies among individuals; however, the underlying cause is unknown. This study investigated the association between serum AA (SAA) polymorphisms and the pattern of renal amyloid deposition in five mixed-breed cats. Histological analysis of the kidneys revealed amyloid deposits in the renal glomeruli and renal papillae in all cases. In contrast, the amyloid deposition pattern differed in the medulla, with widespread deposition from the corticomedullary junctional area to the inner medulla in two of the five cats. These amyloids were mainly located in the basement membrane of the renal tubules, extending towards the lumen and into the interstitium. Conversely, in the other three cats, amyloid deposition in the medulla was sparse and the deposits were localized in the perivascular stroma in the corticomedullary junction. Genetic analysis identified four SAA alleles involving six amino acid substitutions (Q1E, I29K, D42E, Q45R, P48R, and A51V). Mass spectrometry and immunohistochemistry revealed that AA amyloid derived from SAA with Q45 was predominantly deposited in the cortex and papilla, as well as in the perivascular stroma of some parts of the outer medulla. On the other hand, AA amyloid derived from SAA with R45 was specifically observed around the tubules in the renal inner to outer medulla. Except for Q45R, no substitutions were associated with distribution patterns. These findings suggest that the SAA polymorphism sequence is associated with the site of AA amyloid deposition in the kidney. Moreover, this study is the first report of such a complex pattern of amyloid deposition in the organ of the same individual, emphasizing that the primary structure of the amyloid precursor protein determines amyloid distribution.

Background The protein apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIM) is involved in kidney repair. An AIM (fAIM) genetic variant in cats resulting in a domain duplication might abrogate fAIM's protective effect on kidney function. Objectives To confirm that the domain duplication previously described in fAIM results from an exon duplication at the genomic level and to determine if cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) harboring the variant fAIM allele are at higher risk for a decline in renal function relative to fAIM wild‐type cats. Animals Medical records (n = 172) and genomic DNA samples (n = 100) from cats presented to Washington State University and having a diagnosis of CKD were analyzed. Methods Sequencing and PCR were used to determine fAIM genotype. Based on serum creatinine (SCr) concentrations, cats were phenotyped according to IRIS CKD staging. The phenotype–genotype association was tested using Fisher's exact test. Results The 4‐domain variant of fAIM was confirmed to be a result of exon 3 duplication and is present in 62% of the DNA samples from cats. Medical records of cats (n = 50) with CKD met the inclusion criteria. Cats homozygous for the exon 3 fAIM variant allele are more likely to have worse IRIS stage (p = 0.01) and more likely to have experienced renal function deterioration (increasing SCr concentration) than fAIM wild‐type cats (p = 0.03). Conclusions and Clinical Importance The fAIM homozygous variant genotype is associated with declining kidney function in cats with CKD, presumably from deficient fAIM‐mediated renal tubular repair.

Cardiac remodeling in feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is poorly understood. To investigate underlying molecular mechanisms, we determined microRNA–mRNA interactions, regulatory networks, and upstream regulators using left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA) mRNA and microRNA sequencing datasets from cats with HCM and controls. Upstream regulators, molecules, and pathways associated with ischemia, inflammation, fibrosis, and cellular changes were observed in the HCM heart. In both the HCM LV and LA, TNFα, IL1β, and TGFβ were identified as upstream regulators, along with FGF23, THBS4, and FAMB177 as the top increased molecules. Relevant microRNAs included upstream regulator miR-132, enriched miR-124-3p, miR-122b-3p, miR-146-5p (HCM LV and LA), miR-370, miR-1185-5p, miR-12194-3p (HCM LV), miR-153-3p, miR-185-5p, and miR-185-3p (HCM LA). Macrophage pathways were activated, and granulocyte and agranulocyte adhesion and diapedesis were the most connected pathways. The HIF1α signaling pathway in the HCM LV, upstream regulators miR-1-3p and miR-204, and reduced miR-29 and miR-122-5p suggest cardioprotective mechanisms. Observed in the healthy heart and suspected to be involved in cardiac homeostasis were upstream regulators miR-96, inhibited WNT3A and miR-145, as well as miR-140-5p, miR-141-3p, miR-208b-3p, and miR-885-3p. This study provides further insights into the pathogenesis of HCM, and identifies the factors involved in the maintenance of a healthy LV and LA.