High prevalence of prion protein genotype associated with resistance to chronic wasting disease in one Alberta woodland caribou population |
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Authors: | Yo Ching Cheng Marco Musiani Maria Cavedon |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Calgary Prion Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada;2. Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada |
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Abstract: | Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease found in deer, elk and moose in North America and since recently, wild reindeer in Norway. Caribou are at-risk to encounter CWD in areas such as Alberta, Canada, where the disease spreads toward caribou habitats. CWD susceptibility is modulated by species-specific polymorphisms in the prion protein gene (Prnp). We sequenced Prnp of woodland caribou from 9 Albertan populations. In one population (Chinchaga) a significantly higher frequency of the 138N allele linked to reduced CWD susceptibility was observed. These data are relevant for developing CWD management strategies including conservation of threatened caribou populations. |
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Keywords: | caribou chronic wasting disease conservation genetic resistance prion protein prion protein gene polymorphism |
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