Inheritance of Monogenic Hereditary Skin Disease and Related Canine Breeds

Abstract

The plasticity of the genome is an evolutionary factor in all animal species, including canines, but it can also be the origin of diseases caused by hereditary genetic mutation. Genetic changes, or mutations, that give rise to a pathology in most cases result from recessive alleles that are normally found with minority allelic frequency. The use of genetic improvement increases the consanguinity within canine breeds and, on many occasions, also increases the frequency of these recessive alleles, increasing the prevalence of these pathologies. This prevalence has been known for a long time, but mutations differ according to the canine breed. These genetic diseases, including skin diseases, or genodermatosis, which is narrowly defined as monogenic hereditary dermatosis. In this review, we focus on genodermatosis sensu estricto, i.e., monogenic, and hereditary dermatosis, in addition to the clinical features, diagnosis, pathogeny, and treatment. Specifically, this review analyzes epidermolytic and non-epidermolytic ichthyosis, junctional epidermolysis bullosa, nasal parakeratosis, mucinosis, dermoid sinus, among others, in canine breeds, such as Golden Retriever, German Pointer, Australian Shepherd, American Bulldog, Great Dane, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Shar-Pei, and Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Prioritization of Appearance over Health and Temperament Is Detrimental to the Welfare of Purebred Dogs and Cats

“…An inherited disease predisposition can also arise because a deleterious allelic variant is directly responsible for a morphological or other aesthetically desirable trait in a breed. For example, Rhodesian Ridge Back dogs are characterized by their prominent hair ridge, which is a consequence of mutations in three genes for fibroblast growth factors that also predispose to the congenital dermoid sinus [17,18]. Extreme-white coat patterning that has been selected in several breeds including the Dalmatian is associated with a predisposition to congenital sensorineural deafness [19].…”