2024 journal article

Acquired dysfunction of CFTR underlies cystic fibrosis-like disease of the canine gallbladder

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER PHYSIOLOGY, 327(4), G513–G530.

By: J. Gookin n, J. Holmes n, L. Clarke*, S. Stauffer n, B. Meredith n, M. Vandewege n, N. Torres-Machado n, S. Friedenberg* ...

author keywords: comparative; electrogenic ion transport; epithelium; immunofluorescence; mucus
Source: Web Of Science
Added: October 28, 2024

Mucocele formation in dogs is a unique and enigmatic muco-obstructive disease of the gallbladder caused by the amassment of abnormal mucus that bears striking pathological similarity to cystic fibrosis. We investigated the role of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulatory protein (CFTR) in the pathogenesis of this disease. The location and frequency of disease-associated variants in the coding region of CFTR were compared using whole genome sequence data from 2,642 dogs representing breeds at low-risk, high-risk, or with confirmed disease. Expression, localization, and ion transport activity of CFTR were quantified in control and mucocele gallbladders by NanoString, Western blotting, immunofluorescence imaging, and studies in Ussing chambers. Our results establish a significant loss of CFTR-dependent anion secretion by mucocele gallbladder mucosa. A significantly lower quantity of CFTR protein was demonstrated relative to E-cadherin in mucocele compared with control gallbladder mucosa. Immunofluorescence identified CFTR along the apical membrane of epithelial cells in control gallbladders but not in mucocele gallbladder epithelium. Decreases in mRNA copy number for