Mutated DNA blamed for Golden Retriever neurological disorder

Uppsala, Sweden

-- A new study conducted by researchers from three international universities concluded that an inherited neurological disorder affecting Golden Retrievers is caused by a DNA mutation.

Sensory ataxic neuropathy (SAN) is a recently identified disorder that begins affecting Golden Retrievers as puppies, causing them to become uncoordinated and have sensory deficits.

Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institute have identified the cause of SAN as a mutation in microchondrial DNA that occurs through maternal inheritance. Specifically, a one-base pair deletion in the mitochondrial tRN-Tyr gene was discovered, with further study revealing the mutation causes mitochondrial dysfunction leading to progressive loss of neurons, according to the study.

About 5 percent of the Swedish Golden Retriever population was found to carry the mutated gene, and screening has been developed to thwart further transmissions, researchers say.

The full study can be viewed in the May 29 edition of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.