Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood gene changes linked to joint disease in German Shepherd dogs
By Padula, Gisel et al.·Published in Gene·2023·IGEVET - Instituto de Gené·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Preliminary transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood from German Shepherd dogs with degenerative joint disease for the identification of diagnostic biomarkers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of German Shepherd dogs with degenerative joint disease (DJD) showed severe signs of joint deterioration. Researchers looked at their blood samples to find potential biomarkers that could help diagnose DJD. They found that a specific gene called THBS4 was linked to the severity of the disease, suggesting it could be a useful marker for diagnosing DJD in dogs. While more studies are needed to confirm these findings, this research could lead to better ways to identify and manage joint problems in pets.
People also search for: German Shepherd joint pain · dog degenerative joint disease symptoms · THBS4 biomarker for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Degenerative joint disease (DJD) includes a group of disorders characterised by the deterioration of the articular cartilage. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomic profile of peripheral blood in German Shepherd dogs with DJD to identify putative diagnostic biomarkers. METHODS: Differential gene expression (DGE) and gene ontology (GO) analyses of the bulk RNA-seq experiment were performed in a cohort of 12 adult dogs (five cases and seven controls, classified by clinical and radiographic analyses). RESULTS: Radiographs of cases revealed severe signs of progressive DJD. Two up-regulated (LOC106559672 and THBS4) and one down-regulated (LOC106559235) differentially expressed genes (adjusted p value < 0.05) were identified. The DGE with log2 fold change < -1.5 and > 1.5 and non-adjusted p < 0.01 were selected for GO analysis. No significant enrichment terms were observed in the selected threshold. CONCLUSION: The gene-encoding protein THBS4 is correlated with DJD severity and long noncoding RNA LOC106559235 is probably involved in the DJD process. The THBS4 gene should be considered a good biomarker for DJD in dogs. Future studies using independent cohorts will be necessary to validate the present results.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37254296/