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 diagnosticmethods of the mutations that cause these hereditary defects in horses. A five-base deletion in the short arm (ECA9p12) of the equinechromosome 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 whereinthe immune system of the affected foal is very weak. Purebred Turkish Arabian horses reared in the Eskişehir region have contributedgreatly to Turkish Arabian horse breeding and racing. The aim of this study was to detect the SCID mutant allele by using DNAsequencing analysis in Turkish Arabian horses, raised in nine different private farms in Eskişehir. It was determined that none of thehorses evaluated in this study carried the SCID mutant allele.