Research roundup: Which genes drive the development of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs?

November 17, 2020

A cocker spaniel looks at the camera

A recent study is among the first to identify genes that may lead to immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), a life-threatening autoimmune disorder. IMHA results in the immune system attacking circulating red blood cells, inhibiting their ability to deliver oxygen around the body. The disease also causes blood clots, which can be lethal as well. IMHA occurs naturally in both dogs and humans but is more prevalent in dogs, and scientists are still searching for the disease’s root cause. Dogs offer a naturally-occurring model for advancing the outcomes of human patients with IMHA. This study, led by Steven Friedenberg, DVM, PhD, DACVECC, used RNA sequencing to study gene expression in dogs with new IMHA diagnoses and compared these findings to healthy dogs to see how different they were. They found the genes expressed in the two groups to be different enough to warrant further investigation. They also identified groups of genes that are highly associated with the inflammatory response and red blood cell regeneration of dogs with IMHA. The team did not, however, find any genes that distinguished dogs that lived vs. those that died following diagnosis. They also did not find evidence of any microbial organisms in the blood of affected animals, suggesting that the disease may not be triggered by a pathogen. The researchers say that future studies are warranted to validate these findings and to use this information to develop novel therapies for dogs and humans with IMHA. The study was funded by the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation.


Read more in the paper published October 22 in PLOS ONE.


 


 


 




 Photo by Cassidy Kelley on Unsplash


Categories: Faculty Research