Familial footpad hyperkeratosis and inheritance of keratin 2, keratin 9, and desmoglein 1 in two pedigrees of Irish Terriers

Abstract

Objective - To investigate the possibility that variants in the acidic or basic keratin genes or in desmoglein 1 may cause the clinical manifestation of familial footpad hyperkeratosis in Irish Terriers. Animals - 11 dogs belonging to 2 related affected pedigrees of Irish Terriers. Procedure - Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples obtained from each dog. The DNA markers linked to the genes keratin 2, keratin 9, and desmoglein 1 were amplified by use of a polymerase chain reaction technique, and length of the products was determined by use of an automatic DNA analyzer. Results - All tested markers yielded information. None of the markers (genotype) cosegregated with the clinical status of the dogs (phenotype) in the 2 pedigrees. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance - Mutations in the genes encoding keratin 2 and 9 as well as desmoglein 1 are highly unlikely to be the primary cause of familial footpad hyperkeratosis in Irish Terriers.