Pedigree of Abyssinian cats with amyloidosis and polymorphism of SAA gene in several feline breeds

Amyloidosis is a rare disorders occurring in many species including, humans, chickens, and mainly domestic and wild felids. It is characterized, and the diagnosis is only possible so far, by post-mortem evidence of huge amyloid deposits in single organs or systemic. In Abyssinian/Somali and Siamese/Oriental cats a juvenile form with storage of apolipoprotein aposerum amyloid (apo-SAA) occurs most frequently than in other breeds and has been repeatedly suggested as familial. In the past SAA aminoacidic and coding sequence variations and amiloidogenic variants have been recorded on small cohorts of Abyssinians, Siameses and domestic shorthair cats. Additional amyloid associated SAA genes and predisposing factors (such as infections and inflammatory process) involved in the disease onset and development have also been suggested. The present work mainly aims to present a family pedigree (73 records) of Abyssinian cats with more than 20 subjects recording an anamnesis of death due to Amyloidosis. Moreover SAA coding region has been sequenced in the 31 available samples (both affected and healthy) out of the pedigree, in a group of 50 cats belonging to the following breeds: Siamese, Oriental, domestic shorthair cat, Bengal, Devon Rex, Chartreuse, Siberian, Thai, Ragdoll, Scottish Fold, Persian, Exotic, Birman, Norwegian Forest cat, Sphynx and in 9 samples of Panthera tigris. The pedigree/phenotype data seem to re-confirm familial predisposition and the SAA sequences present the previously suggested amiloidogenic motives. The importance of understanding the mechanisms of Amiloidogenesis also for human health, encourage the constitution of an “Amyloid network” and a wide genome analysis.