Current Understanding of the Genetics of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Peter J Dickinson; Danika L Bannasch

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00431

Current Understanding of the Genetics of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Front Vet Sci. 2020 Jul 24:7:431. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00431. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Peter J Dickinson¹, Danika L Bannasch²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.
² Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.

Abstract

Premature degeneration of the intervertebral disc and its association with specific chondrodystrophic dog breeds has been recognized for over a century. Several lines of evidence including disease breed predisposition, studies suggesting heritability of premature intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) and association of a dog chromosome 12 (CFA 12) locus with intervertebral disc calcification have strongly supported a genetic component in IVDD in dogs. Recent studies documenting association of IVDD with an overexpressing FGF4 retrogene on CFA 12 have opened up new areas of investigation to further define the pathophysiology of premature IVDD. While preliminary data from studies investigating FGF4 retrogenes in IVDD implicate FGF4 overexpression as a major disease factor, they have also highlighted knowledge gaps in our understanding of intervertebral disc herniation which is a complex and multifactorial disease process.

Keywords: chondrodystrophy; fibroblast growth factor 4; heritable; intervertebral disc degeneration; retrogene.

Publication types

Review