Bellone

A recent publication co-authored by VGL researchers and other members of the equine genetics research community highlights how collaborative work, including an “adopt-a-tissue” initiative, have allowed researchers to annotate tissue-specific elements of the equine genome.

A study building on previous research at the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory has found the DDB2 genetic risk factor for ocular squamous cell carcinoma in an additional three breeds of horse.

A recent survey of horse breeds in Europe and the USA found the Warmblood fragile foal syndrome type 1 (WFFS) variant mainly in warmbloods and few other breeds, with no evidence the variant originated in Arabians.

An interdisciplinary team led by VGL Director Dr. Rebecca Bellone identified a genetic variant associated with distichiasis in Friesian horses. This is the first identification of a genetic variant linked to equine distichiasis, an ocular disease characterized by eyelashes that grow from abnormal positions along the edge of the eyelid and often lead to corneal irritation and damage.

A new study by a team of Veterinary Genetics Laboratory researchers and collaborators has provided functional evidence that a mutation in a UV damage DNA repair gene gives rise to equine ocular squamous cell carcinoma.

Two recent studies by Veterinary Genetics Laboratory researchers and collaborators investigated equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) risk factors and genetic loci of interest in Appaloosas, including leopard complex (LP) and Appaloosa pattern-1 (PATN1), finding evidence that LP has an additive effect on ERU risk.

The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory has launched three new horse tests, one of which was researched and developed at the VGL.

In early April, VGL Director Dr. Rebecca Bellone joined the Equine Veterinary Journal podcast "EVJ in Conversation" to discuss catastrophic breakdown in racehorses as well as her recent paper, which found no evidence of linkage between catastrophic breakdown and the mutation that causes Warmblood fragile foal syndrome type 1 (WFFS).

A new study by researchers at the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory investigated the occurrence of ocular squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the Belgian breed to determine if the mutation known to be associated with ocular SCC in Haflingers is also a risk factor for the same condition in Belgian horses.