(Press-News.org) A novel gene associated with canine atopic dermatitis has been identified by a team of researchers led by professors Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Uppsala university and Åke Hedhammar, SLU, Sweden. The gene encodes a protein called plakophilin 2, which is crucial for the formation and proper functioning of the skin structure, suggesting an aberrant skin barrier as a potential risk factor for atopic dermatitis.
Details appear today in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Atopic dermatitis (or eczema) is an inflammatory, relapsing non-contagious skin disease affecting about 10-30 percent of the human population. It is not only humans that suffer from the disease: about 3-10 percent of dogs are also affected. The skin of a patient with atopic dermatitis becomes easily irritated by various allergens such as certain types of food, pollens or house mites. Such irritation causes very strong itching which leads to scratching, redness and flaky skin that becomes vulnerable to bacterial and yeast infections.
To-date, despite many scientific efforts, little has been known about the genetics of the disease. In their study, researchers from Uppsala University, SLU and Broad Institute, compared DNA samples from a large group of German shepherd dogs affected by atopic dermatitis with DNA coming from healthy dogs to reveal the specific DNA segment associated with the disease.
"With the help of pet owners, we have managed to collect a unique set of DNA samples from sick and healthy dogs which allowed us to gain insight into atopic dermatitis genetics," said first author Katarina Tengvall, Uppsala University.
Purebred dogs such as German shepherds have been selected for specific physical features for several generations. Selection led to an inadvertent enrichment for disease-risk genes in certain breeds. Moreover, the resulting architecture of canine DNA makes it easier to pinpoint segments that carry these disease risk-genes. This helped the researchers to reveal the genetics of atopic dermatitis. They found a region associated with the atopic dermatitis containing the gene PKP-2, which encodes Plakophilin-2, a protein involved in the formation and maintaining of the proper skin structure.
"The finding that certain variants of the PKP-2 gene may increase the risk of developing the disease opens new possibilities in understanding the disease mechanism leading to atopic dermatitis," continues Katarina Tengvall.
These findings will not only lead to better understanding of the disease, which may lead to better treatment strategies long term. It also opens up the possibilities of development of a genetic test for the disease.
"Our study suggests that plakophilin-2 and an intact skin barrier is important to avoid atopic dermatitis", says senior author, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, professor at Uppsala University and Director of SciLifeLab Uppsala. "Another gene involved in the skin barrier has recently been linked to human atopic dermatitis emphasizing the similarity between canine and human atopic dermatitis" continues Kerstin Lindblad-Toh.
###
For more information, please contact:
Professor Kerstin Lindblad- Toh, Director för SciLifeLab Uppsala, Department of Medical Biochemistry and
Microbiology Uppsala University
Tel: +46 70 167 9552
E-mail: kerstin.lindblad-toh@imbim.uu.se
K Tengvall, M Kierczak, K Bergvall, M Olsson, M Frankowiack, G Pielberg, Ö Carlborg, T Leeb, G Andersson, L Hammarström, Å Hedhammar, K Lindblad-Toh. Genome-wide analysis in German shepherd dogs reveals associations of a locus on CFA27 with atopic dermatitis and a locus on CFA32 with low IgA levels
The study was supported by the European Commission (FP7-LUPA, GA-201370) and the Swedish Research Council Formas. KT was supported by the Uppsala University, MK was supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) grant and ÖC and KLT were supported by independent EURYI-Awards. FF was supported by the Swedish Institute Scholarship.
Researchers identifies gene associated with eczema in dogs
2013-05-10
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Heady mathematics
2013-05-10
VIDEO:
A computer-generated movie showing a collapsing soap bubble cluster where macroscopic gas dynamics are coupled to microscopic fluid flow inside the thin-film membranes, leading to membrane rearrangement, drainage, and rupture....
Click here for more information.
Bubble baths and soapy dishwater, the refreshing head on a beer and the luscious froth on a cappuccino. All are foams, beautiful yet ephemeral as the bubbles pop one by one.
Two University of California, Berkeley, ...
The Liverpool Care Pathway -- improvement in quality of end-of-life care
2013-05-10
Death in hospital remains very common for cancer patients in developed countries. Although hospital surveys show that death was highly expected, patients dying in hospital have a high probability of unrelieved and poorly treated physical suffering, and emotional, spiritual and social distress. Quality improvement programmes in the United States and United Kingdom suggest that aspects of the 'excellent practice' of palliative care can be transferred to other settings. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for the dying patient is one pathway that seeks to achieve this. It offers ...
Water on moon, Earth came from same primitive meteorites
2013-05-10
The water found on the moon, like that on Earth, came from small meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites in the first 100 million years or so after the solar system formed, researchers from Brown and Case Western Reserve universities and Carnegie Institution of Washington have found.
Evidence discovered within samples of moon dust returned by lunar crews of Apollo 15 and 17 dispels the theory that comets delivered the molecules.
The research is published online in Science Express today.
The discovery's telltale sign is found in the ratio of an isotopic form of hydrogen, ...
Dust in the clouds
2013-05-10
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- At any given time, cirrus clouds — the thin wisps of vapor that trail across the sky — cover nearly one-third of the globe. These clouds coalesce in the upper layers of the troposphere, often more than 10 miles above the Earth's surface.
Cirrus clouds influence global climate, cooling the planet by reflecting incoming solar radiation and warming it by trapping outgoing heat. Understanding the mechanisms by which these clouds form may help scientists better predict future climate patterns.
Now an interdisciplinary team from MIT, the National Oceanic ...
Using bacteria to stop malaria
2013-05-10
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Mosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. Research conducted at Michigan State University, however, demonstrates that they also can be equally adept in curing diseases such as malaria.
A study in the current issue of Science shows that the transmission of malaria via mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia in the insects. In a sense, Wolbachia would act as a vaccine of sorts for mosquitoes that would protect them from malaria parasites. Treating mosquitoes would prevent them from transmitting ...
Scientists define a new mechanism leading to tumor hypoxia
2013-05-10
An article published recently in Tumor Microenvironment and Therapy - an open access journal by Versita, defines a novel mechanism of tumor hypoxia induced by the longitudinal gradient of residual oxygen along tumor vessels as they transverse the tumor.
Growing evidence from experimental studies and clinical trials suggests a fundamental role of hypoxia in solid tumors. The mechanisms leading to hypoxia include the rapid rate of tumor growth, poor tumor perfusion or transiently disrupted tumor blood flow. Now, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professor ...
Women altering menstruation cycles in large numbers, UO study shows
2013-05-10
EUGENE, Ore. -- A surprisingly large number of women 18 or older choose to delay or skip monthly menstruation by deviating from the instructions of birth-control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, a team of University of Oregon researchers and others found in a study of female students at the university.
Most women who alter bleeding cycles do so for convenience rather than to avoid menstrual symptoms, and many learn about the option from nonmedical sources, according to research by the university's Department of Human Physiology, Portland-based Oregon Health and ...
Researchers discover dynamic behavior of progenitor cells in brain
2013-05-10
By monitoring the behavior of a class of cells in the brains of living mice, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins discovered that these cells remain highly dynamic in the adult brain, where they transform into cells that insulate nerve fibers and help form scars that aid in tissue repair.
Published online April 28 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, their work sheds light on how these multipurpose cells communicate with each other to maintain a highly regular, grid-like distribution throughout the brain and spinal cord. The disappearance of one of these so-called progenitor ...
How state and local governments can address the obesity epidemic
2013-05-10
With simple and innovative measures, public agencies at state and local levels can play a significant role in promoting healthier eating habits—steps that could make a difference in curbing the nation's obesity epidemic. One effective option, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is requiring restaurants to include calorie counts on menus, along with the physical activity equivalents required to burn off a meal. The researchers, who examined studies on calorie labeling and regulatory options available to local governments, offer ...
Nobody likes a 'fat-talker,' Notre Dame study shows
2013-05-10
Women who engage in "fat talk" — the self-disparaging remarks girls and women make in relation to eating, exercise or their bodies — are less liked by their peers, a new study from the University of Notre Dame finds.
Led by Alexandra Corning, research associate professor of psychology and director of Notre Dame's Body Image and Eating Disorder Lab, the study was presented recently at the Midwestern Psychological Association annual conference.
In the study, college-age women were presented with a series of photos of either noticeably thin or noticeably overweight women ...