Hund som komparativ modell för autoimmuna sjukdomar
In this essay dog as a compatible model were put against human. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes were compared between dogs, human, cat and mouse. To evaluate dog as a model and study similarities and differences was the aim with this review.
Dog as a model contributes to understand mechanisms behind autoimmune diseases and showed clearly histological similarities between human and dogs concerning the skin disease mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP)/cicatricial pemphgioid (CP). Further genetic evidence motivated the choice of using dog as a comprehensive model when the MHC-complex correlated with hypothyroiditis in Doberman dog as it does in human. Physiological similarities with low levels of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) together with high level of thyroid releasing hormone (TSH) were found in the same way as in human. Clinical and morphological similarities could be seen in dogs with hypothyroiditis and other species but the disease was neither spontaneous nor self-maintained in rodents. Further diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, leishmaniasis and myasthenia gravis were mentioned.
Comprehension of MHC-genes was made between human, dogs, cat and mouse. In genes of dogs a new pseudogene was discovered with loci 181g17.12. The new pseudoegene showed to be related with two earlier known human cDNA.
Common for both man and dogs of an autoimmune disease is that it appears in the middle age. Why castrated male dogs had a lower risk to get hypothyroiditis than spayed female dogs is a question that remains to be answered.
Dogs have a big part to play in investigating the outcome of autoimmune disease and the model contributes a lot.