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. 2023 Jul 24;10(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/s40575-023-00132-1.

Genomic analysis and prediction of genomic values for distichiasis in Staffordshire bull terriers

Dina Jørgensen  1 , Ernst-Otto Ropstad  2 , Theodorus Meuwissen  3 , Frode Lingaas  4
Affiliations

Genomic analysis and prediction of genomic values for distichiasis in Staffordshire bull terriers

Dina Jørgensen et al. Canine Med Genet. .

Abstract

Background: Distichiasis is a condition characterized by aberrant hairs along the eyelid margins. The symptoms are usually mild but can lead to ulcerations and lesions of the cornea in severe cases. It is the most frequently noted ocular disorder in Norwegian Staffordshire bull terriers (SBT), with a prevalence above 18% in the adult population. A complex inheritance is assumed, but there is sparse knowledge about the genetic background of distichiasis in dogs. We have performed a genome-wide association study of distichiasis in SBT and used genomic data in an attempt to predict genomic values for the disorder.

Results: We identified four genetic regions on CFA1, CFA18, CFA32 and CFA34 using a mixed linear model association analysis and a Bayesian mixed model analysis. Genomic values were predicted using GBLUP and a Bayesian approach, BayesR. The genomic prediction showed that the 1/4 of dogs with predicted values most likely to acquire distichiasis had a 3.9 -4.0 times higher risk of developing distichiasis compared to the quarter (1/4) of dogs least likely to acquire the disease. There was no significant difference between the two methods used.

Conclusion: Four genomic regions associated with distichiasis were discovered in the association analysis, suggesting that distichiasis in SBT is a complex trait involving numerous loci. The four associated regions need to be confirmed in an independent sample. We also used all 95 K SNPs for genomic prediction and showed that genomic prediction can be a helpful tool in selective breeding schemes at breed level aiming at reducing the prevalence of distichiasis in SBTs in the future, even if the predictive value of single dogs may be low.

Keywords: Canine; Distichiasis; GWAS; Genomic prediction; Staffordshire bull terrier.

Plain language summary

Distichiasis is a condition where abnormal hairs grow along the margin of the eyelids. It's common in Staffordshire bull terriers and can cause eye problems of variable severity. The abnormal eye hairs can be found during an eye inspection performed by a veterinarian.We performed a genome-wide association analysis and identified four genomic areas associated with the condition. But more genes may be involved in causing the disease.We have used genomic data to predict genomic values. Genomic values can be used to predict the total load of disease-associated alleles. Genomic prediction would therefore be helpful at the breed level, similar to pedigree-based breeding values, to reduce the prevalence of dogs with distichiasis, even if the low accuracy to predict phenotypes in individual dogs may be a challenge. More research is needed to confirm these findings and see if genomic prediction could be a helpful tool within dog breeding in the future.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mixed linear model association analysis. A: A Manhattan plot displaying the MLMA performed in GCTA. The association analysis was based on 94,697 SNP markers and 731 dogs (324 cases and 407 controls). The significance level (blue line) was set to 1.24 × 10–05 using Bonferroni correction to adjust for multiple testing considering the LD, haploblock structure and number of independent SNPs after pruning the data. A second significance level (red line) was set to 5.28 × 10–07, using Bonferroni correction to adjust for all markers in the data. B: A quantile–quantile (q-q) plot showing the expected p value against the observed p-values of the MLMA
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A Manhattan plot of the absolute SNP effect estimated in BayesR over the 38 autosomal chromosomes. The analysis was based on 97,185 SNP markers and 731 dogs (324 cases and 407 controls)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The total load of the risk alleles in the four loci identified in the MLMA performed in GCTA, including 324 cases and 407 controls
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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