Identification of the Syrian hamster cardiomyopathy gene (original) (raw)

The BIO14.6 hamster is a widely used model for autosomal recessive cardiomyopathy. These animals die prematurely from progressive myocardial necrosis and heart failure. The primary genetic defect leading to the cardiomyopathy is still unknown. Recently, a genetic linkage map localized the cardiomyopathy locus on hamster chromosome 9qa2.1-b1, excluding several candidate genes. We now demonstrate that the cardiomyopathy results from a mutation in the δ-sarcoglycan gene that maps to the disease locus. This mutation was completely coincident with the disease in backcross and F 2 pedigrees. This constitutes the first animal model identified for human sarcoglycan disorders.