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Lue PY, Oliver MH, Neeff M, Thorne PR, Suzuki-Kerr H. Sheep as a large animal model for hearing research: comparison to common laboratory animals and humans. Lab Anim Res 2023; 39:31. [PMID: 38012676 PMCID: PMC10680324 DOI: 10.1186/s42826-023-00182-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), caused by pathology in the cochlea, is the most common type of hearing loss in humans. It is generally irreversible with very few effective pharmacological treatments available to prevent the degenerative changes or minimise the impact. Part of this has been attributed to difficulty of translating "proof-of-concept" for novel treatments established in small animal models to human therapies. There is an increasing interest in the use of sheep as a large animal model. In this article, we review the small and large animal models used in pre-clinical hearing research such as mice, rats, chinchilla, guinea pig, rabbit, cat, monkey, dog, pig, and sheep to humans, and compare the physiology, inner ear anatomy, and some of their use as model systems for SNHL, including cochlear implantation surgeries. Sheep have similar cochlear anatomy, auditory threshold, neonatal auditory system development, adult and infant body size, and number of birth as humans. Based on these comparisons, we suggest that sheep are well-suited as a potential translational animal model that bridges the gap between rodent model research to the clinical use in humans. This is especially in areas looking at changes across the life-course or in specific areas of experimental investigation such as cochlear implantation and other surgical procedures, biomedical device development and age-related sensorineural hearing loss research. Combined use of small animals for research that require higher throughput and genetic modification and large animals for medical translation could greatly accelerate the overall translation of basic research in the field of auditory neuroscience from bench to clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yi Lue
- Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Mark H Oliver
- Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Ngapouri Research Farm Laboratory, University of Auckland, Waiotapu, New Zealand
| | - Michel Neeff
- Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Surgery, Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Peter R Thorne
- Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Section of Audiology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Haruna Suzuki-Kerr
- Department of Physiology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
- Eisdell Moore Centre, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Haase B, Willet CE, Chew T, Samaha G, Child G, Wade CM. De-novo and genome-wide meta-analyses identify a risk haplotype for congenital sensorineural deafness in Dalmatian dogs. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15439. [PMID: 36104420 PMCID: PMC9474838 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19535-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD) has been reported to affect up to 30% of Dalmatian dogs world-wide and while unilaterally deaf dogs can live a close to normal life, dogs suffering bilateral deafness are frequently euthanized. Extreme-white coat patterning as encoded by the gene Melanocyte Inducing Transcription Factor (MITF) has long been postulated as the major risk factor for CSD in the Dalmatian breed. While attempts to identify causative risk variants associated with CSD have been numerous, no genome-wide association study has positively identified MITF as a risk locus for either bilateral or unilateral deafness in the Dalmatian breed to date. In this study, we identified an association with CSD on CFA20 in the vicinity of MITF within Australian Dalmatian dogs. Although not genome-wide significant, the association signal was validated by reanalysing publicly available data and merging the wider data resource with the local data to improve statistical power. The merged data, representing three major global populations of Dalmatian dogs, enabled us to identify a single, well-defined genome-wide significant risk haplotype for CSD. The haplotype was formed by three genome-wide significant associated markers (BICF2G630233852T>C, BICF2G630233861T>C, BICF2G630233888G>A) on CFA20 with 62% of bilaterally deaf dogs homozygous for the risk haplotype (CCA), while 30% of bilaterally deaf and 45% of hearing dogs carried one copy of the risk haplotype. Animals homozygous or heterozygous for the low-risk haplotype were less likely to be unilaterally deaf. While the association between the risk haplotype and deafness is incomplete, animals homozygous for the risk haplotype were 10-times more likely to be bilaterally deaf. Although the underlying causative variants are yet to be discovered, results from this study can now assist with reducing deafness in Dalmatian dogs.
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Sox10 Gene Is Required for the Survival of Saccular and Utricular Hair Cells in a Porcine Model. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:3323-3335. [DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02691-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Seddon JM, Fortes M, Kelly-Smith M, Sommerlad SF, Hayward JJ, Burmeister L, De Risio L, Mellersh C, Freeman J, Strain GM. Deafness in Australian Cattle Dogs associated to QTL on chromosome 20 in genome-wide association study analyses. Anim Genet 2021; 52:694-702. [PMID: 34318504 DOI: 10.1111/age.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Pigment-associated deafness is a common hereditary condition in a range of dog breeds. The aim of this study was to perform a genome-wide association analysis to investigate the genetic architecture of deafness in Australian Cattle Dogs. Genotypes for 104 757 polymorphisms in 216 dogs were available for analyses after quality control. A genomic relationship matrix was used in the mixed model analyses to account for polygenic effects, as we tested each polymorphism for its association with deafness, in a case/control experimental design. Three approaches were used to code the genotypes and test for additive, recessive and dominant SNP effects. The genome-wide association study analyses identified a clear association peak on CFA20, with the most significant SNPs on this chromosome (1.29 × 10-4 ) in the vicinity of MITF. Variants in MITF have been associated with white pigmentation in dogs and with deafness in humans and other species, supporting the premise that canine deafness is associated with variants in or near this gene. A recessive inheritance for the peak in CFA20 is possible given the significant results in the recessive model; however, the estimated heritability was low (4.54 × 10-5 ). Further validation, identification of variants and testing in other dog breeds are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Seddon
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, 4343, Australia
| | - M Fortes
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - M Kelly-Smith
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - S F Sommerlad
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, 4343, Australia
| | - J J Hayward
- Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - L Burmeister
- Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK
| | - L De Risio
- Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK
| | - C Mellersh
- Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK
| | - J Freeman
- Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK
| | - G M Strain
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
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Abstract
Practical relevance: Auditory function is a sense that is central to life for cats - being important in situational awareness of potential predators, pursuit of prey, and for communication with conspecifics, humans and other species. Deafness in cats is most frequently the result of a genetic disorder, strongly associated with white fur and blue eyes, but may also result from acquired causes such as advancing age, ototoxic drugs, infection, environmental noise and physical trauma. Deafness can be sensorineural, where there is loss of cochlear hair cells, or conductive, where sound is muffled on its way to the inner ear. Clinical challenges: Establishing whether a cat is deaf can be difficult as behavioral testing of hearing is subjective and does not reliably detect unilateral deafness. Brainstem auditory evoked response testing is an objective measure but is limited in its availability. Currently, sensorineural deafness is irreversible because no treatments are available to restore lost hair cells. Conductive hearing loss can usually be treated, although full hearing recovery following otitis media may take weeks as the body clears the middle ear of debris. Evidence base: The author draws on the published literature and his extensive research on clinical aspects and molecular genetics of deafness, principally in companion animals, to review types and forms of deafness in cats. He also discusses current diagnostic approaches and provides brief advice for managing cats with hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M Strain
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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Abstract
Although deafness can be acquired throughout an animal's life from a variety of causes, hereditary deafness, especially congenital hereditary deafness, is a significant problem in several species. Extensive reviews exist of the genetics of deafness in humans and mice, but not for deafness in domestic animals. Hereditary deafness in many species and breeds is associated with loci for white pigmentation, where the cochlear pathology is cochleo-saccular. In other cases, there is no pigmentation association and the cochlear pathology is neuroepithelial. Late onset hereditary deafness has recently been identified in dogs and may be present but not yet recognized in other species. Few genes responsible for deafness have been identified in animals, but progress has been made for identifying genes responsible for the associated pigmentation phenotypes. Across species, the genes identified with deafness or white pigmentation patterns include MITF, PMEL, KIT, EDNRB, CDH23, TYR, and TRPM1 in dog, cat, horse, cow, pig, sheep, ferret, mink, camelid, and rabbit. Multiple causative genes are present in some species. Significant work remains in many cases to identify specific chromosomal deafness genes so that DNA testing can be used to identify carriers of the mutated genes and thereby reduce deafness prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- George M. Strain
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
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Blanke A, Aupperle H, Seeger J, Kubick C, Schusser GF. Histological Study of the External, Middle and Inner Ear of Horses. Anat Histol Embryol 2014; 44:401-9. [DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Blanke
- Department of Large Animal Medicine; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Leipzig; An den Tierkliniken 11 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - H. Aupperle
- Laboklin GmbH & Co KG; Steubenstr. 4 97688 Bad Kissingen Germany
| | - J. Seeger
- Institute of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Leipzig; An den Tierkliniken 43 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - C. Kubick
- Institute of Pathology; Faculty of Medicine; University of Leipzig; Liebigstr. 24 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - G. F. Schusser
- Department of Large Animal Medicine; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Leipzig; An den Tierkliniken 11 04103 Leipzig Germany
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Kluth S, Distl O. Congenital sensorineural deafness in dalmatian dogs associated with quantitative trait loci. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80642. [PMID: 24324618 PMCID: PMC3851758 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2012] [Accepted: 10/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed for 235 Dalmatian dogs using the canine Illumina high density bead chip to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with canine congenital sensorineural deafness (CCSD). Data analysis was performed for all Dalmatian dogs and in addition, separately for brown-eyed and blue-eyed dogs because of the significant influence of eye colour on CCSD in Dalmatian dogs. Mixed linear model analysis (MLM) revealed seven QTL with experiment-wide significant associations (-log10P>5.0) for CCSD in all Dalmatian dogs. Six QTL with experiment-wide significant associations for CCSD were found in brown-eyed Dalmatian dogs and in blue-eyed Dalmatian dogs, four experiment-wide significant QTL were detected. The experiment-wide CCSD-associated SNPs explained 82% of the phenotypic variance of CCSD. Five CCSD-loci on dog chromosomes (CFA) 6, 14, 27, 29 and 31 were in close vicinity of genes shown as causative for hearing loss in human and/or mouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Kluth
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ottmar Distl
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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