<i>FGF4</i> retrogene on CFA12 is responsible for chondrodystrophy and intervertebral disc disease in dogs.

Brown, Emily A; Dickinson, Peter J; Mansour, Tamer; Sturges, Beverly K; Aguilar, Miriam; Young, Amy E; Korff, Courtney; Lind, Jenna et al. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Chondrodystrophy in dogs is defined by dysplastic, shortened long bones and premature degeneration and calcification of intervertebral discs. Independent genome-wide association analyses for skeletal dysplasia (short limbs) within a single breed (<i>P</i><sub>Bonferroni</sub> = 0.01) and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) across breeds (<i>P</i><sub>Bonferroni</sub> = 4.0 × 10<sup>-10</sup>) both identified a significant association to the same region on CFA12. Whole genome sequencing identified a highly expressed <i>FGF4</i> retrogene within this shared region. The <i>FGF4</i> retrogene segregated with limb length and had an odds ratio of 51.23 (95% CI = 46.69, 56.20) for IVDD. Long bone length in dogs is a unique example of multiple disease-causing retrocopies of the same parental gene in a mammalian species. FGF signaling abnormalities have been associated with skeletal dysplasia in humans, and our findings present opportunities for both selective elimination of a medically and financially devastating disease in dogs and further understanding of the ever-growing complexity of retrogene biology.

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