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Identification And Prevalence Of A Genetic Defect That Causes Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency In Holstein Cattle, Dale E. Shuster, Marcus E. Kehrli Jr., Mark R. Ackermann, R. O. Gilbert

Mark R. Ackermann

Two point mutations were identified within the gene encoding bovine CD18 in a Holstein calf afflicted with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD). One mutation causes an aspartic acid to glycine substitution at amino acid 128 (D128G) in the highly conserved extracellular region of this adhesion glycoprotein, a region where several mutations have been found to cause human LAD. The other mutation is silent. Twenty calves with clinical symptoms of LAD were tested, and all were homozygous for the D128G allele. In addition, two calves homozygous for the D128G allele were identified during widespread DNA testing, and both were subsequently found to …