Variability of Dog Leukocyte Antigen in Russian-Bred Dogs

DLA (Dog Leukocyte Antigen), which serves as the canine counterpart to the human major histocompatibility complex (HLA), plays a pivotal role in immune response and represents a key marker of genetic diversity.This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of class II DLA gene polymorphism (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1) in four Russian dog breeds: the Samoyed, Siberian Husky, Black Russian Terrier, and Boxer.Molecular genetic methods revealed significant interbreed differences in allelic diversity.Notably, Samoyeds and Black Russian Terriers exhibited genetic conservation in DRB1 and DQA1, while maintaining pronounced polymorphism in DQB1.In contrast, Siberian Huskies and Boxers demonstrated substantial genetic homogeneity across all studied loci, except for DRB1 in Siberian Huskies.These findings characterize class II DLA genes as highly polymorphic, enabling a comparison of allele frequencies for DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 among Russian-bred dogs.Analysis of DLA class II gene polymorphism (DRB1, DQA1, DQB1) provides the first step in characterizing existing breed diversity using Russian-bred Samoyeds, Siberian Huskies, Black Russian Terriers, and Boxers as models.The obtained data may facilitate the prediction of breed-specific predisposition to autoimmune diseases and carcinogenesis, taking into account known associations between specific haplotypes and particular diseases.