Whole-genome sequencing reveals a large deletion in the MITF gene in horses with white spotted coat colour and increased risk of deafness.

Henkel, Jan Wolfgang; Lafayette, C; Brooks, S A; Martin, K; Patterson-Rosa, L; Cook, D; Jagannathan, Vidya; Leeb, Tosso (2019). Whole-genome sequencing reveals a large deletion in the MITF gene in horses with white spotted coat colour and increased risk of deafness. Animal genetics, 50(2), pp. 172-174. Wiley 10.1111/age.12762

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White spotting phenotypes in horses are highly valued in some breeds. They are quite variable and may range from the common white markings up to completely white horses. EDNRB, KIT, MITF, PAX3 and TRPM1 represent known candidate genes for white spotting phenotypes in horses. For the present study, we investigated an American Paint Horse family segregating a phenotype involving white spotting and blue eyes. Six of eight horses with the white-spotting phenotype were deaf. We obtained whole-genome sequence data from an affected horse and specifically searched for structural variants in the known candidate genes. This analysis revealed a heterozygous ~63-kb deletion spanning exons 6-9 of the MITF gene (chr16:21 503 211-21 566 617). We confirmed the breakpoints of the deletion by PCR and Sanger sequencing. PCR-based genotyping revealed that all eight available affected horses from the family carried the deletion. The finding of an MITF variant fits well with the syndromic phenotype involving both depigmentation and an increased risk for deafness and corresponds to human Waardenburg syndrome type 2A. Our findings will enable more precise genetic testing for depigmentation phenotypes in horses.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Institute of Genetics
05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > DermFocus
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

Graduate School:

Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB)

UniBE Contributor:

Henkel, Jan Wolfgang, Jagannathan, Vidya, Leeb, Tosso

Subjects:

500 Science > 590 Animals (Zoology)
600 Technology > 630 Agriculture
500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0268-9146

Publisher:

Wiley

Language:

English

Submitter:

Tosso Leeb

Date Deposited:

31 May 2019 13:52

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:27

Publisher DOI:

10.1111/age.12762

PubMed ID:

30644113

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Equus caballus heterogeneity leucism melanocyte pigmentation splashed white structural variant

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.129241

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/129241

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