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 assess genetic diversity across the genome and in the Dog Leukocyte Antigen (DLA) class I and II regions. This test panel will be useful to breeders who wish to manage genetic diversity of their breed as a long-term goal.
Genetic diversity testing of Rat Terrier is now in the preliminary results phase. During this phase, we continue to test more registered dogs to build genetic data necessary to provide breeders with an accurate assessment of genetic diversity. This report is based on testing of 34 specifically selected Rat Terriers from across the USA. This number of dogs is sufficient for a reasonable genetic assessment of the breed given their heterogeneity. Allele and DLA haplotype frequencies will be updated as more Rat Terriers are tested. It is anticipated that new alleles at the 33 STR loci and additional DLA class I and II haplotypes will be identified in the future, but these will tend to be of much lower incidence than those detected in the present population.
Price
$50 one test per animal
This is the cost for the dogs that will be tested in the research phase. Once the research phase is complete, the test will be offered at the regular rate of $80.
Results reported as:
Short tandem repeat (STR) loci: A total of 33 STR loci from across the genome were used to gauge genetic diversity within an individual and 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. DLA haplotypes are also useful in studying founder lineages.
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.
Report
Report issued July 8, 2020. Daily updated statistics are here.
