598: Candidate Gene Markers for Epilepsy in Beagles and Other Breeds
Grant Status: Closed
Abstract
Epilepsy is a serious, late onset, often-heritable seizure disorder affecting a large number of breeds. The variability in phenotypes and inheritance pattern between breeds suggests that many different genes are likely to contribute to canine epilepsy. Whole genome scanning approaches with microsatellite markers are currently underway to attempt to identify chromosomal regions linked to epilepsy in canine pedigrees. However, the canine genome project has recently provided researchers with the sequences and locations of the canine homologs of genes known to cause epilepsy in other species. Thus, a candidate-gene allele-association approach in populations of affected and normal dogs, in concert with whole genome scanning in pedigrees, is now a feasible and appropriate approach to define the genetics of canine epilepsy. We propose to identify polymorphic DNA markers at known epilepsy-causing genes in other species, and use an allele association study to test them for potential contributions to epilepsy in Beagles and related breeds. This approach will provide reagents applicable to epilepsy research in any breed and could lead to the identification of specific epilepsy-causing mutations.
Publication(s)
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