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00870-A: Analysis of Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy in the German Shepherd Dog Using the SNP Array
Grant Status: Closed
Grant Amount: $12,960
Dr. Leigh Anne Clark, PhD, Texas A&M University
February 1, 2007 - July 31, 2008
Sponsor(s): American German Shepherd Dog Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Breed(s): German Shepherd Dog
Disease(s): Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy
Abstract
Pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA) is a digestive disorder observed primarily in the German Shepherd Dog (GSD). Presently, there are no methods to diagnose the disease prior to the onset of clinical symptoms, which include maldigestion, weight loss, and loose stools. Diagnosis of EPI is achieved by measurement of serum canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI), with severely decreased concentrations being diagnostic for PAA. Although symptoms can be controlled with supplemental enzymes, treatment is costly and not always effective. It is unclear if PAA is controlled by one gene or multiple loci and previous studies have failed to elucidate the causative gene(s). We propose herein to use a novel approach, the canine SNP array, to evaluate differences between affected and unaffected GSDs in an effort to identify regions of the genome that may harbor genes implicated in PAA.
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