Investigation of the SCID mutant allele in Turkish Arabian horses reared in some private farms of the Eskişehir region in Turkey

Abstract

There are several known hereditary diseases in Arabian horses. Many studies have been conducted on molecular diagnostic methods of the mutations that cause these hereditary defects in horses. A five-base deletion in the short arm ECA9p12 of the equine chromosome 9, starting with codon 9480, which occurs in the catalytic subunit gene of the DNA-dependent protein kinase DNAPKcs results in severe combined immunodeficiency SCID hereditary disorder. SCID is an autosomal recessive disorder wherein the immune system of the affected foal is very weak. Purebred Turkish Arabian horses reared in the Eskisehir region have contributed greatly to Turkish Arabian horse breeding and racing. The aim of this study was to detect the SCID mutant allele by using DNA sequencing analysis in Turkish Arabian horses, raised in nine different private farms in Eskisehir. It was determined that none of the horses evaluated in this study carried the SCID mutant allele.