Discovery of Addison's Disease Gene in Dogs Could Help Humans, Too
Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In humans, Addison's disease is thought to occur when the body's immune system attacks the adrenal glands, making it a type of autoimmune disease.
Affected tollers typically develop Addison's disease at a young age and the condition appears to be inherited. It often occurs with other autoimmune diseases, a condition called multiple autoimmune syndrome. Dogs with juvenile-onset Addison’s disease typically die within two years, even with treatment.
Now scientists have identified a gene variant in tollers, RESF1, which is strongly associated with the disease in dogs. The team was led by Professor Danika Bannasch, Maxine Adler Endowed Chair of Genetics at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, with graduate students Emily Brown andScarlett Varney, and colleagues at UC Davis and internationally.