(includes the Biewer, Biewer Terrier, and Biewer Yorkshire Terrier)
Overview
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL), in collaboration with Dr. Niels C. Pedersen and staff, has developed a panel of short tandem repeat (STR) markers that will determine genetic diversity across the genome and in the Dog Leukocyte Antigen (DLA) class I and II regions. This test panel will be useful to Biewer breeders who wish to track and increase genetic diversity of their breed as a long term goal.
Genetic testing of Biewer is now in the preliminary results - please see Enrolling a Breed. During this phase, we will continue to test Biewer dogs and send results. Testing 50 or more Biewer of each variety will further converge the baseline genetic data necessary to provide breeders with an accurate assessment of genetic diversity in their variety of the breed. We encourage breeders to submit samples from active dogs to further build the database. The goal is to test enough dogs so that no new alleles or DLA haplotypes are recognized.
Price
$85 one test per animal
$70 when combined with a diagnostic test
Results reported as:
Short tandem repeat (STR) loci: A total of 33 STR loci from carefully selected regions of the genome were used to assess genetic heterogeneity and existing genetic diversity within an individual as well as across the breed. The alleles inherited from each parent are displayed graphically to highlight heterozygosity, and breed-wide allele frequency is provided.
DLA haplotypes: STR loci linked to the DLA class I and II genes were used to identify genetic differences in regions regulating immune responses and self/non-self recognition. Problems with self/non-self recognition, along with non-genetic factors in the environment, are responsible for autoimmune disease.
Internal Relatedness: The IR value is a measure of genetic diversity within an individual that takes into consideration both heterozygosity of alleles at each STR loci and their relative frequency in the population. Therefore, IR values heterozygosity over homozygosity and uncommon alleles over common alleles. IR values are unique to each dog and cannot be compared between dogs. Two dogs may have identical IR values but with very different genetic makeups.
Daily updated statistics are here.