Early recurrence of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion after surgical decompression: a report of three cases

Thoracolumbar disc extrusions were diagnosed in three chondrodystrophic dogs with paraparesis of up to three days duration. All cases were managed by hemilaminectomy and removal of extruded disc material. In one dog, fenestration of the herniated disc space was also performed. Initially neurological function improved or was unchanged, but from two to ten days postoperatively clinical signs of deterioration became apparent. In all the dogs, recurrence of disc extrusion at the same location as the initial extrusion was diagnosed by computer tomography and at a second surgery abundant disc material was found at the hemilaminectomy site between the dura and an implanted graft of autogenous fat

Impaired NDRG1 functions in Schwann cells cause demyelinating neuropathy in a dog model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 4D

Mutations in the N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) cause degenerative polyneuropathy in ways that are poorly understood. We have investigated Alaskan Malamute dogs with neuropathy caused by a missense mutation in NDRG1. In affected animals, nerve levels of NDRG1 protein were reduced by more than 70% (p < 0.03). Nerve fibers were thinly myelinated, loss of large myelinated fibers was pronounced and teased fiber preparations showed both demyelination and remyelination. Inclusions of filamentous material containing actin were present in adaxonal Schwann cell cytoplasm and Schmidt-Lanterman clefts. This condition strongly resembles the human Charcot-MarieTooth type 4D. However, the focally folded myelin with adaxonal infoldings segregating the axon found in this study are ultrastructural changes not described in the human disease. Furthermore, lipidomic analysis revealed a profound loss of peripheral nerve lipids. Our data suggest that the low levels of mutant NDRG1 is insufficient to support Schwann cells in maintaining myelin homeostasis. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license

Sensory Ataxic Neuropathy in Golden Retriever Dogs Is Caused by a Deletion in the Mitochondrial tRNATyr Gene

Sensory ataxic neuropathy (SAN) is a recently identified neurological disorder in golden retrievers. Pedigree analysis revealed that all affected dogs belong to one maternal lineage, and a statistical analysis showed that the disorder has a mitochondrial origin. A one base pair deletion in the mitochondrial tRNATyr gene was identified at position 5304 in affected dogs after re-sequencing the complete mitochondrial genome of seven individuals. The deletion was not found among dogs representing 18 different breeds or in six wolves, ruling out this as a common polymorphism. The mutation could be traced back to a common ancestor of all affected dogs that lived in the 1970s. We used a quantitative oligonucleotide ligation assay to establish the degree of heteroplasmy in blood and tissue samples from affected dogs and controls. Affected dogs and their first to fourth degree relatives had 0–11% wild-type (wt) sequence, while more distant relatives ranged between 5% and 60% wt sequence and all unrelated golden retrievers had 100% wt sequence. Northern blot analysis showed that tRNATyr had a 10-fold lower steady-state level in affected dogs compared with controls. Four out of five affected dogs showed decreases in mitochondrial ATP production rates and respiratory chain enzyme activities together with morphological alterations in muscle tissue, resembling the changes reported in human mitochondrial pathology. Altogether, these results provide conclusive evidence that the deletion in the mitochondrial tRNATyr gene is the causative mutation for SAN

Histological findings in neurons and pancreas.

<p>(A) Swelling of neurons in the vestibular nucleus due to fine vesiculation (arrows) and clear vacuolization (arrowhead) of the cytoplasm. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (B) Clear cytoplasmic vacuolization (arrows) in cerebellar cortical Purkinje cells. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (C) Normal cerebellar cortex of an unaffected dog shows viable Purkinje cells (arrows) and a dense granular cell layer. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (D) Marked neuronal loss is present the cerebellar cortex of an affected dog. The number of neurons in the granular cell layer is reduced and only scattered Purkinje cells remain (arrow). HE, scale bar 100 μm. (E) Axonal spheroids of varying quality were seen in the white matter (arrows) of cerebellum and brainstem. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (F) Diffuse cytoplasmic vacuolization of the exocrine pancreatic acinar cells. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (G) Purkinje cell with numerous single-membrane bound, cytoplasmic vacuoles tethering to each other (arrows, inset). Electronmicrograph, scale bar 2 μm. Inset: scale bar 1 μm. (H) Axonal spheroid containing aggregated degenerated mitochondria, occasional double-membrane-bound autophagosomes (arrows) and free electron dense material, compressed by a peripheral clear vacuolar space. Electronmicrograph, scale bar 0.5 μm. Abbreviations: n, nucleus; ml, molecular layer; pl, Purkinje cell layer; gl, granular cell layer.</p

Muscle and peripheral nerve pathology in Alaskan Malamutes with polyneuropathy and a mutation in NDRG1.

<p>Representative cranial tibial muscle and peroneal nerve biopsy transverse sections from a two year old female Alaskan Malamute (a,b) and a three year old female Alaskan Malamute (c,d) with histopathological findings consistent with polyneuropathy. Large and small groups of atrophic fibers were present with variable severity and fatty infiltration (a,c. H&E stain). A moderate to marked depletion of myelinated fibers was evident in resin embedded nerve biopsy sections (b,d. Toluidine blue stain). Nerve fiber loss resulted from chronic axonal degeneration (arrows in b,d).</p

Variants detected by whole genome re-sequencing of an affected Lagotto Romagnolo.

<p>^aThe sequences were compared to the reference genome (CanFam 3.1) from a Boxer. Only those variants that were homozygous in the affected Lagotto Romagnolo are reported.</p><p>Variants detected by whole genome re-sequencing of an affected Lagotto Romagnolo.</p

Histological findings in neurons and pancreas.

<p>(A) Swelling of neurons in the vestibular nucleus due to fine vesiculation (arrows) and clear vacuolization (arrowhead) of the cytoplasm. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (B) Clear cytoplasmic vacuolization (arrows) in cerebellar cortical Purkinje cells. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (C) Normal cerebellar cortex of an unaffected dog shows viable Purkinje cells (arrows) and a dense granular cell layer. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (D) Marked neuronal loss is present the cerebellar cortex of an affected dog. The number of neurons in the granular cell layer is reduced and only scattered Purkinje cells remain (arrow). HE, scale bar 100 μm. (E) Axonal spheroids of varying quality were seen in the white matter (arrows) of cerebellum and brainstem. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (F) Diffuse cytoplasmic vacuolization of the exocrine pancreatic acinar cells. HE, scale bar 100 μm. (G) Purkinje cell with numerous single-membrane bound, cytoplasmic vacuoles tethering to each other (arrows, inset). Electronmicrograph, scale bar 2 μm. Inset: scale bar 1 μm. (H) Axonal spheroid containing aggregated degenerated mitochondria, occasional double-membrane-bound autophagosomes (arrows) and free electron dense material, compressed by a peripheral clear vacuolar space. Electronmicrograph, scale bar 0.5 μm. Abbreviations: n, nucleus; ml, molecular layer; pl, Purkinje cell layer; gl, granular cell layer.</p

Multiple alignment of mammalian NDRG1 proteins.

<p>Alignment of NDRG1 protein sequences from five mammalian species: Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Canis lupus, Bos taurus and Mus musculus shows a sequence similarity of 94.7%. Residue 98 (gly, marked with a frame) which is substituted in Alaskan Malamutes with the G>T mutation, is conserved in the five species.</p

Immunohistochemistry indicates disturbed autophagic flow in neurons.

<p>(A) Axonal spheroids stain diffusely positive for LC3B. IHC LC3B, scale bar 100 μm. (B,C) The granular cores of the spheroids are positive for (B) ubiquitin (arrow) and (C) p62. IHC ubiquitin and p62, scale bars 20 and 100 μm, respectively. (D) Smooth axonal swellings in the cerebellar cortex contain ATG4D. Inset: control. IHC ATG4D, scale bar 100 μm. (E) Affected neurons show increased perinuclear granular LC3B positivity. Inset: control. IHC LC3B, scale bar 100 μm. (F) Neuronal vacuoles are partially LAMP2 positive (arrow) and partially negative (arrow head). Inset: control. IHC LAMP2, scale bar 20 μm.</p