Hip dysplasia is a developmental disorder common in most dog breeds, and its onset is affected by both hereditary and environmental factors.
Prior studies have identified dozens of genetic loci associated with hip dysplasia in various breeds. The relevance of the loci to disease susceptibility remains an open question. The previously identified loci were reinvestigated at the University of Helsinki using a large independent cohort of 1,600 dogs representing ten breeds. The individual genetic variants at the target loci were determined from blood samples. The standardized radiographic hip phenotypes as assessed by expert veterinarians were obtained from the Finnish Kennel Club.
“Key to the study was the opportunity to utilize the world’s largest canine DNA bank maintained by Professor
Lea Mikkola, PhD, who wrote her
“A multitude of genes affect the development of the disease. There are marked differences in the genetic background of the disease between breeds, even if certain gene loci associated with it are the same.”
In the future, the researchers want to pay closer attention to the loci now identified as relevant to uncover the actual genes underlying hip dysplasia and their variants.
“The findings do not boost disease diagnostics or dog breeding as such, but they can likely be used as part of broader risk profiles in the future. The identified loci also contain new candidate genes associated with hereditary hip dysplasia in humans, which may eventually improve humans' care. More hip dysplasia studies should be conducted, through increased international collaboration, with different dog breeds,” notes Professor Hannes Lohi from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine.
Research groups:
References:
Mikkola L, Kyöstilä K, Donner J, Lappalainen AK, Hytönen MK, Lohi H, Iivanainen A.
Lea Mikkola.