Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Conservation of Small Populations

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less likely to...

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Lethal Alleles

Lethal Alleles

Agouti: A Lethal Allele
Lucien Cuénot discovered lethal alleles in 1905 while studying the inheritance of coat color in mice. The agouti gene is responsible for the color of the coat in mice. This gene codes for an agouti-signaling protein, which is responsible for melanin distribution in mammals. The wild-type allele gives rise to gray-brown coat color in mice, while the mutant allele gives rise to yellow coat color. In addition to coat color, the agouti gene is associated with the yellow...

Incomplete Dominance

Incomplete Dominance

Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.

Immunodeficiency Diseases

Immunodeficiency Diseases

Immunodeficiency disorders are conditions in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. The immune system comprises a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body from potentially harmful invaders. When this system is deficient or not functioning properly, it leaves the body susceptible to infections, diseases, or other complications.
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency disorders...

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Immunity: defense against infections essential for all living organisms.

Frontiers in immunology·2026

Same author

Rare germline variants contribute to glioma predisposition: Whole-genome analysis of a regional cohort of glioma patients.

Neuro-oncology advances·2026

Same author

A variant in RESF1 is associated with Addison's disease and multiple autoimmune syndrome in young Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Whole genomes reveal subpopulations and isolation-by-distance patterns in the Norwegian lemming.

BMC biology·2026

Same author

The Earth BioGenome Project Phase II: illuminating the eukaryotic tree of life.

Frontiers in science·2026

Same author

Anoctamin-2-specific T cells link Epstein-Barr virus to multiple sclerosis.

Cell·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Effects of Taste Signaling Protein Abolishment on Gut Inflammation in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Mouse Model

Effects of Taste Signaling Protein Abolishment on Gut Inflammation in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Mouse Model

Published on: November 9, 2018

IgA deficiency in wolves.

Marcel Frankowiack¹, Lars Hellman, Yaofeng Zhao

¹Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden.

Developmental and Comparative Immunology

|January 29, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The study found that Scandinavian wolves have significantly lower serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations than dogs. This suggests that IgA deficiency may be a common trait inherited from the dog

More Related Videos

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

Induction and Diverse Assessment Indicators of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Induction and Diverse Assessment Indicators of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Published on: September 9, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Effects of Taste Signaling Protein Abolishment on Gut Inflammation in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Mouse Model

Effects of Taste Signaling Protein Abolishment on Gut Inflammation in an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Mouse Model

Published on: November 9, 2018

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid

Published on: August 8, 2017

Induction and Diverse Assessment Indicators of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Induction and Diverse Assessment Indicators of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Published on: September 9, 2022

Area of Science:

Immunology
Veterinary Genetics
Canine and Wolf Biology

Background:

Certain dog breeds exhibit low serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations and a high frequency of IgA deficiency (IgAD).
This raises questions about whether IgAD is a breed-specific trait or an ancestral characteristic inherited from wolves.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the serum IgA concentrations in Scandinavian wolves (Canis lupus) to determine if IgA deficiency is prevalent in the species.
To compare wolf IgA to canine IgA and analyze the genetic sequence of the wolf IgA heavy chain constant region.

Main Methods:

Serum samples from 58 free-ranging and 13 captive Scandinavian wolves were analyzed for IgA concentration using capture ELISA.
The wolf IgA heavy chain constant region encoding gene (IGHA) was sequenced to assess for molecular differences.
Double immunodiffusion was used to confirm the identity of wolf and dog IgA.

Main Results:

Wolf serum samples exhibited markedly lower IgA concentrations compared to dog controls.
Complete amino acid sequence homology was found between wolf and dog IgA heavy chain constant regions.
Double immunodiffusion confirmed the immunological identity of IgA from both species.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that widespread IgA deficiency is likely a common, ancestral trait in wolves, the ancestor of domestic dogs.
This indicates that the prevalence of IgA deficiency in certain dog breeds may be a legacy from their wolf ancestors rather than solely a breeding-enriched phenomenon.