High Frequency of a Single Nucleotide Substitution (c.-6-180T>G) of the Canine MDR1/ABCB1 Gene Associated with Phenobarbital-Resistant Idiopathic Epilepsy in Border Collie Dogs

• Main Authors: Keijiro Mizukami, Akira Yabuki, Hye-Sook Chang, Mohammad Mejbah Uddin, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Kazuya Kushida, Moeko Kohyama, Osamu Yamato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2013-01-01
• Series: Disease Markers
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/695918

A single nucleotide substitution (c.-6-180T>G) associated with resistance to phenobarbital therapy has been found in the canine MDR1/ABCB1 gene in Border Collies with idiopathic epilepsy. In the present study, a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was developed for genotyping this mutation, and a genotyping survey was carried out in a population of 472 Border Collies in Japan to determine the current allele frequency. The survey demonstrated the frequencies of the T/T wild type, T/G heterozygote, and G/G mutant homozygote to be 60.0%, 30.3%, and 9.8%, respectively, indicating that the frequency of the mutant G allele is extremely high (24.9%) in Border Collies. The results suggest that this high mutation frequency of the mutation is likely to cause a high prevalence of phenobarbital-resistant epilepsy in Border Collies.