Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mucin gene levels in airway cells of dogs with chronic bronchitis
By Hawkins, Eleanor C et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2007·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Quantification of mucin gene expression in tracheobronchial epithelium of healthy dogs and dogs with chronic bronchitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic bronchitis had higher levels of a specific mucin gene compared to healthy dogs. Researchers collected samples from the airways of both groups during routine procedures and found that the dogs with bronchitis had three times more of the mucin gene expression. This finding could help veterinarians better understand and treat airway inflammation in dogs. While this study focused on gene expression, it highlights the importance of monitoring respiratory health in dogs with chronic bronchitis.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To develop a real-time PCR assay for the quantification of mucin gene expression in tracheobronchial brushing specimens from dogs and compare mucin gene expression in specimens from dogs with naturally occurring chronic bronchitis with that in specimens from healthy dogs. ANIMALS: 7 healthy dogs and 5 dogs with chronic bronchitis. PROCEDURES: Primers that were designed to span the predicted intron-exon boundaries of a canine MUC5AC-like gene were used to develop a real-time PCR assay for quantification of expression of that gene. Total mRNA was isolated from tracheobronchial brushing specimens obtained from dogs with and without bronchitis during anesthesia; MUC5AC-like gene expression in those samples was quantified by use of the real-time PCR assay. RESULTS: The PCR assay was sensitive and specific for the target sequence, the predicted amino acid sequence of which had greatest homology with human, porcine, and rat MUC5AC. The assay was able to quantify the target over a wide dynamic range. Dogs with chronic bronchitis had a 3.0-fold increase in the quantity of MUC5AC-like mRNA, compared with healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The ability to measure mucin gene expression from tracheobronchial brushing specimens collected from client-owned dogs during routine bronchoscopy should prove to be a useful tool for the study of bronchitis in dogs and expand the usefulness of airway inflammation in dogs as a model for bronchitis in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17397301/