News and Information

DM research
Posted by: "M Kingsley" mkingsley@cloud9.net mkings2002
Date: Wed May 7, 2008 12:07 pm ((PDT))

Posted with permission from another list.

Please see below for very exciting information about a DM breakthrough:

Drs. Gary Johnson and Joan Coates at the Animal Molecular Genetics
Laboratory of the University of Missouri and Drs. Claire Wade and
Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT/Harvard and
their colleagues have identified a DNA mutation that is a major risk
factor for development of Degenerative Myelopathy in dogs.

A DNA test will soon be available. The test clearly identifies dogs
that are clear(have 2 normal copies of the gene), those who are
carriers (have one normal copy of the gene and one mutated copy
of the gene) and those who are at much higher risk for developing DM
(have 2 mutated copies of the gene). However, having two mutated
copies of the gene does not necessarily result in the disease.

Additional research will help answer questions that remain.
Information about benefits of this test, testing forms and
instructions and suggestions for using the test to reduce the
frequency of DM will soon be available online in the DM section of:
www.CanineGeneticDiseases.net

Karen Fruhmann
Genetics Chair PWCCA