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Doggy Diseases
01 May 2015

Doggy Diseases

Dogs may be loyal pets, but they share more than our affection. These four-legged friends are affected by many of the same diseases that afflict their owners, including cancer. And because dogs have been selectively bred over the years, different types of cancer affect particular breeds. Golden retrievers – like this puppy – are predisposed to developing cancers affecting certain cells in the immune system, similar to the human disease non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They're also susceptible to a cancer that grows from the lining of the blood vessels, known as angiosarcoma in humans. By trawling through the DNA of hundreds of retrievers, researchers have discovered two neighbouring gene variations linked to an increased risk of both cancers. These changes seem to be located in the 'control switches' regulating certain genes that are important in immune cells, suggesting that a faulty immune response could lie at the heart of these illnesses.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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