Single Gene Has Major Impact On Gaits in Horses and in Mice

ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2012) — Researchers at Uppsala University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and their international collaborators have discovered a mutation in a single gene in horses that is critical for the ability to perform ambling gaits, for pacing and that has a major effect on performance in harness racing. Experiments on this gene in mice have led to fundamental new knowledge about the neural circuits that control leg movements. The study is a breakthrough for our understanding of spinal cord neuronal circuitry and its control of locomotion in vertebrates.

The study is being published August 29 in Nature.

Our ability to walk and run is dependent on a complex coordination of muscle contractions carried out by neuronal circuits in our spinal cord. But how does this work at the level of nerve cells and molecules? The researchers took advantage of the variability in the pattern of locomotion in horses. The three naturally occurring gaits in horses are, in order of increasing speed, walk, trot and canter/gallop. Some horses are able to perform ambling gaits and/or pace, for instance, Icelandic Horses can tölt (an ambling gait) and perform flying pace. The researchers decided to investigate the genetic basis explaining why some Icelandic Horses can pace but others cannot.

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120829131534.htm