Evaluation of Tafazzin as Candidate for Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Irish Wolfhounds

Abstract

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common disease in humans and dogs. Large-breed dogs and especially Irish wolfhounds belong to the frequently affected breeds. Male Irish wolfhounds show a significantly higher prevalence of DCM than females. Therefore, we evaluated X chromosome markers for linkage with DCM as well as a human candidate gene on the X chromosome. A set of X chromosomal microsatellites was genotyped in Irish wolfhound families segregating for DCM. In addition, exon and intron sequences of the tafazzin (TAZ) gene were assayed for polymorphisms segregating in these families. Statistical analysis of the microsatellite markers did not reveal linkage to DCM. Furthermore, all Irish wolfhounds included in this study were monomorphic for TAZ, and only 8 sequence differences to the Dog Genome Assembly 2.1 could be found. The results indicate that due to the lack of mutations, TAZ is unlikely to cause DCM in Irish wolfhounds.

Genomic and genetic aspects of heart failure in dogs — A review

“…The same authors also showed that the tafazzin (TAZ) gene has no influence on the development of DCM in this breed (Philipp et al, 2007a).…”

“…Histological findings reveal two distinct forms of DCM -cardiomyopathy of Doberman Pinschers and Boxers, corresponding to the 'fatty infiltration-degenerative' type and the form detected in many giant, large-and medium-sized breeds (including some Doberman Pinschers and Boxers), which can be classified as 'attenuated wavy fibre'. DCM primarily affects large-breed dogs such as Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, Newfoundlands, and Irish Wolfhounds (Richardson et al, 1996;Tidholm and Jönsson, 2005;Philipp et al, 2007a). Oyama and Chittur (2005) published a study on gene expression in the myocardium of dogs with DCM.…”

Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Other Cardiomyopathies in Dogs

“…An autosomal dominant transmission with incomplete penetrance has thus been reported in the Doberman Pinscher, the Irish Wolfhound, and the Newfoundland [17][18][19]. In contrast, an autosomal recessive transmission has been described for the juvenile PDCM form in the Portuguese Water Dog.…”

“…The latter can be either dilated ( Figures 12-23 to [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] or hypertrophic (Figures 12-30 and 12-31). The most studied is the cardiomyopathy associated with Golden Retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD), a hereditary disease related to Duchenne disease in humans, linked to the X chromosome, and resulting from a spontaneous mutation of the dystrophin coding gene [38].…”

Multiple Genetic Associations with Irish Wolfhound Dilated Cardiomyopathy

“…Previous IWH DCM genetic association studies have either not reported the age of their unaffected IWHs or used arbitrary ages to define the unaffected control group [23, 28, 39]. Brownlie and Cobb [32] found a difference between the sexes in the age of onset of DCM in IWH in 39 individuals.…”