Presence of known feline ALMS1 and MYBPC3 variants in a diverse cohort of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Japan

Abstract

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats with a suspected genetic origin. Previous studies have identified five HCM-associated variants in three genes (Myosin binding protein C3:MYBPC3p.A31P, p.A74T, p.R820W; Myosin heavy chain 7:MYH7p.E1883K; Alstrom syndrome protein 1:ALMS1p.G3376R). These variants are considered breed-specific, with the exception ofMYBPC3p.A74T, and have rarely been found in other breeds. However, genetic studies on HCM-associated variants across breeds are still insufficient because of population and breed bias caused by differences in genetic background. This study investigates the ubiquitous occurrence of HCM-associated genetic variants among cat breeds, using 57 HCM-affected, 19 HCM-unaffected, and 227 non-examined cats from the Japanese population. Genotyping of the five variants revealed the presence ofMYBPC3p.A31P andALMS1p.G3376R in two (Munchkin and Scottish Fold) and five non-specific breeds (American Shorthair, Exotic Shorthair, Minuet, Munchkin and Scottish Fold), respectively, in which the variants had not been identified previously. In addition, our results indicate that theALMS1variants identified in the Sphynx breed might not be Sphynx-specific. Overall, our results suggest that these two specific variants may still be found in other cat breeds and should be examined in detail in a population-driven manner. Furthermore, applying genetic testing to Munchkin and Scottish Fold, the breeds with bothMYBPC3andALMS1variants, will help prevent the development of new HCM-affected cat colonies.