Microsatellite polymorphism in intron 14 of the canine BRCA1 gene.

Microsatellite polymorphism due to differences in CT dinucleotide repeats was demonstrated in intron 14 of the canine BRCA1 gene. Genotype analysis of 103 unrelated dogs from 30 different breeds detected the presence of five alleles, including 10 of the expected 15 genotypes. Gene frequencies were biased and all alleles with the exception of one were below 0.1. This polymorphism, which occurs at the intron of canine BRCA1 should prove to be a useful marker for detecting the loss of heterozygosity (LOH). One of the more notable findings of the present study was the detection of homozygotes of rare alleles. This finding identified an accumulation of rare alleles in specific canine breeds and demonstrated the usefulness of this characteristic for the biological study of dog evolution.