Compound heterozygous PLA2G6 loss-of-function variants in Swaledale sheep with neuroaxonal dystrophy

Anna Letko, Ben Strugnell, Irene M Häfliger, Julia M Paris, Katie Waine, Cord Drögemüller, Sandra Scholes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Sporadic occurrences of neurodegenerative disorders including neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) have been previously reported in sheep. However, so far no causative genetic variant has been found for ovine NAD. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenotype and the genetic aetiology of an early-onset neurodegenerative disorder observed in several lambs of purebred Swaledale sheep, a native English breed. Affected lambs showed progressive ataxia and stiff gait and subsequent histopathological analysis revealed the widespread presence of axonal spheroid indicating neuronal degeneration. Thus, the observed clinical phenotype could be explained by a novel form of NAD. After SNP genotyping and subsequent linkage mapping within a paternal half-sib pedigree with a total of five NAD-affected lambs, we identified two loss-of-function variants by whole-genome sequencing in the ovine PLA2G6 gene situated in a NAD-linked genome region on chromosome 3. All cases were carriers of a compound heterozygous splice site variant in intron 2 and a nonsense variant in exon 8. Herein we present evidence for the occurrence of a familial novel form of recessively inherited NAD in sheep due to allelic heterogeneity at PLA2G6. This study reports two pathogenic variants in PLA2G6 causing a novel form of NAD in Swaledale sheep which enables selection against this fatal disorder.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)235-242
Number of pages8
JournalMolecular Genetics and Genomics
Volume296
Issue number1
Early online date6 Nov 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPrint publication - Jan 2021

Keywords

  • Compound heterozygosity
  • Neurogenetic disorder
  • Ovis aries
  • Precision medicine
  • Rare disease

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