Canine Genetic Research
Subject: Epilepsy in Poodles: Part 1; Overview of Genetic Research; Who is Involved in Research
Date: Mon, 03 Nov 1997 14:52:23 -0500
From: Barbara Licht
After returning from a genetics conference, I was asked a number of questions about genetic research on canince epilepsy. I will respond to the posts on epilepsy in two parts. In this post (Part 1), I will describe my trip since it was very relevant to our research on epilepsy in Poodles. In this context, I will try to give a very brief overview of what is involved in genetics research. In a second post, which I will send later this week, I will present a more specific update of our own research program on epilepsy in Poodles.
I was in St. Louis since Thursday (October 30, 1997) for the American Kennel Club (AKC) Molecular Genetics and Canine Genetic Health Conference. This was a 2-day conference that brought together many scientists who are working to understand genetic diseases in dogs as well as the genes that influence a variety of canine characteristics. This conference was immediately followed by the AKC Parent Club Conference for the breed club representatives. That conference continued through Monday, November 3, 1997.
Most of the people invited to speak at the scientists' conference were molecular geneticists. However, there also were a number of clinicians, behavior geneticists, and statisticians who spoke. For those of you unfamiliar with some of this terminology, I will *try* to explain some terms to give you a better feel (hopefully) for what goes on with genetics research.
Molecular geneticists
are the ones who study the structure of genes and how genes work "at the molecular level." That is, molecular geneticists analyze DNA and other molecules that are involved in transmitting genetic information. The material they analyze is typically obtained by taking blood samples from dogs or by using cheek swabs to take cells from inside a dog's mouth. The ultimate goal of these analyses is to find the genes that influence various diseases and other characteristics (such as coat color, ability to track scents, shape of the chest, trainability for seeing-eye work, etc.).However, in order for molecular geneticists to make their discoveries, other researchers are needed to do equally important work. This includes the work of clinicians, behavior geneticists, statisticians, as well as dedicated dog owners and breeders. For example, clinicians are needed to improve upon diagnostic techniques. If a disease is poorly diagnosed, then it will not be possible to find the gene(s) that are related to that disease. The work of behavior geneticists and statisticians is important to determine the mode(s) of inheritance for the disease being studied. For example, they examine the patterns of inheritance for the disease to determine if the disease is influenced by several genes or primarily by one gene. They also try to determine if the disease is recessive (both parents must be carriers in order for an offspring to have the disease) or if it is dominant (only one parent needs to be a carrier for an offspring to have the disease).
Importantly, to examine the mode(s) of inheritance, researchers are needed to collect the information on which individual dogs have the disease and which of their relatives did and did not inherit the disease. In most studies, these relatives include littermates, parents, grandparents, and offspring. However, if the pattern of inheritance is complex, as we believe it is for epilepsy, information also must be collected on other relatives, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins. Sometimes, the people collecting these data are scientists, sometimes they are dedicated dog lovers, and sometimes they are both at the same time.
What is important to know is that this is a long tedious, but crucial process. What is even more important to know is that it is the breeders and owners that possess the very valuable information that is needed for this research. All the scientists in the world can not find the genes that are responsible for diseases in dogs without the information possessed by owners and breeders.
Getting back to the conference, I was invited to speak about our research on the genetic basis of epilepsy in Poodles. I received many positive comments after my talk. People were impressed both with the care we are taking to carefully collect data and with the dedication that is being shown by Poodle owners and breeders throughout the United States and Canada. Dr. George Brewer, a molecular geneticist from the University of Michigan, organized the session on epilepsy. Beside myself, two other epilepsy researchers spoke. Both were very prominent neurologists with a special interest in epilepsy. One was Dr. Michael Podell from Ohio State University and the other was Dr. Joanne Parent from the University of Guelph in Canada. Both of them made outstanding presentations on the difficulties of diagnosing epilepsy and the difficulties involved in classifying different kinds of primary epilepsy. I will describe these issues in my next post, which will specifically describe our research on Poodles.
My Best,
Barbara
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Barbara G. Licht, Ph.D. Voice: (850) 644-6272
Department of Psychology EMAIL: blicht@psy.fsu.edu
Florida State University FAX: (850) 644-7739
Tallahassee, FL 32306-