A recent study sheds new light on the prevalence and penetrance of the missense mutation in the type 2X myosin heavy chain (MYH1) gene that is associated with myosin-heavy chain myopathy (MYHM) in Quarter Horses. The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory offers a genetic test for MYHM and reports the presence of this mutation as My and the absence of this mutation as N.
An international collaboration between the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) characterized the first case of Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS) in the Thoroughbred.
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory will briefly pause most genetic testing for a week in July as part of an initiative to address deferred equipment maintenance and to give staff a chance to rest and recuperate from an unusually demanding year.
A recent publication co-authored by VGL researchers and other members of the equine genetics research community highlights how collaborative work, including an “adopt-a-tissue” initiative, have allowed researchers to annotate tissue-specific elements of the equine genome.
To more accurately reflect the genetic mechanism that underpins both immune-mediated myositis (IMM) and non-exertional rhabdomyolysis, the name of the VGL’s DNA test has been updated from Immune-mediated Myositis (IMM/MYH1) to myosin-heavy chain myopathy (MYHM).
An interdisciplinary team led by VGL Director Dr. Rebecca Bellone identified a genetic variant associated with distichiasis in Friesian horses. This is the first identification of a genetic variant linked to equine distichiasis, an ocular disease characterized by eyelashes that grow from abnormal positions along the edge of the eyelid and often lead to corneal irritation and damage.
The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory recently achieved the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, the highest level of accreditation available to testing laboratories. According to their website, ANAB is the largest multi-disciplinary accreditation body in the western hemisphere, with more than 2,500 organizations accredited in approximately 80 countries.
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory is excited to announce the launch of a new dog coat color test for a visually distinct brown coat color, known as cocoa, that occurs in French Bulldogs.
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory is pleased to announce that it is now licensed to offer the Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM1) test to the general public as both a standalone test and part of a genetic disease panel for Quarter Horses and related breeds.
In early April, VGL Director Dr. Rebecca Bellone joined the Equine Veterinary Journal podcast "EVJ in Conversation" to discuss catastrophic breakdown in racehorses as well as her recent paper, which found no evidence of linkage between catastrophic breakdown and the mutation that causes Warmblood fragile foal syndrome type 1 (WFFS).