Multi-Allelic Mitochondrial DNA Deletions in an Adult Dog with Chronic Weakness, Exercise Intolerance and Lactic Acidemia

An adult dog was presented to a board-certified veterinary neurologist for evaluation of chronic weakness, exercise intolerance and lactic acidemia. (2)

Here, we add mitochondrial deletion disorders to the spectrum of myopathies affecting adult dogs.

A mitochondrial myopathy was diagnosed based on the histological and histochemical phenotype of numerous COX-negative muscle fibers. Whole-genome sequencing established the presence of multiple extended deletions in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), with the highest prevalence between the 1-11 kb positions of the approximately 16 kb mitochondrial chromosome. Such findings are typically suggestive of an underlying nuclear genome variant affecting mitochondrial replication, repair, or metabolism. (3)

Numerous variants in the nuclear genome unique to the case were identified in the whole-genome sequence data, and one, the insertion of a DYNLT1 retrogene, whose parent gene is a regulator of the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), was considered a plausible causal variant. (4) Conclusions: Here, we add mitochondrial deletion disorders to the spectrum of myopathies affecting adult dogs.