First Report of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Leporine Shadow of Prion Protein Gene (SPRN) and Absence of Nonsynonymous SNPs in the Open Reading Frame (ORF) in Rabbits

Prion disorders are fatal infectious diseases that are caused by a buildup of pathogenic prion protein (PrP^Sc) in susceptible mammals. According to new findings, the shadow of prion protein (Sho) encoded by the shadow of prion protein gene (SPRN) is associated with prion protein (PrP), promoting the progression of prion diseases. Although genetic polymorphisms in SPRN are associated with susceptibility to several prion diseases, genetic polymorphisms in the rabbit SPRN gene have not been investigated in depth. We discovered two novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the leporine SPRN gene on chromosome 18 and found strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) between them. Additionally, strong LD was not found between the polymorphisms of PRNP and SPRN genes in rabbits. Furthermore, nonsynonymous SNPs that alter the amino acid sequences within the open reading frame (ORF) of SPRN have been observed in prion disease-susceptible animals, but this is the first report in rabbits. As far as we are aware, this study represents the first examination of the genetic features of the rabbit SPRN gene.