Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of heart disease in the adult cat. Affected cats are at risk of sudden death, the development of heart failure, or a blood clot that may paralyze the hind legs. In humans, the disease is most commonly an inherited defect associated with a mutation in one of several important cardiac genes. Previous studies by these researchers, funded in part by the Winn Feline Foundation, have demonstrated that HCM in cats is inherited in a manner similar to the disease in humans. Evaluation of the common genes that cause HCM in humans has allowed these researchers to rule out several important genes in the cat. Recently, they determined that an important cardiac protein, myosin binding protein C, was significantly reduced in HCM-affected cats. This study will show whether a mutation in the gene for this protein is associated with the development of inherited HCM in a colony of Maine Coon cats.
(Ricky Fund Study)
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