- Genova, Francesca;
- Nonnis, Simona;
- Maffioli, Elisa;
- Tedeschi, Gabriella;
- Strillacci, Maria Giuseppina;
- Carisetti, Michela;
- Sironi, Giuseppe;
- Cupaioli, Francesca Anna;
- Di Nanni, Noemi;
- Mezzelani, Alessandra;
- Mosca, Ettore;
- Helps, Christopher R;
- Leegwater, Peter AJ;
- Dorso, Laetitia;
- Longeri, Maria
The amyloidoses constitute a group of diseases occurring in humans and animals that are characterized by abnormal deposits of aggregated proteins in organs, affecting their structure and function. In the Abyssinian cat breed, a familial form of renal amyloidosis has been described. In this study, multi-omics analyses were applied and integrated to explore some aspects of the unknown pathogenetic processes in cats. Whole-genome sequences of two affected Abyssinians and 195 controls of other breeds (part of the 99 Lives initiative) were screened to prioritize potential disease-associated variants. Proteome and miRNAome from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded kidney specimens of fully necropsied Abyssinian cats, three affected and three non-amyloidosis-affected were characterized. While the trigger of the disorder remains unclear, overall, (i) 35,960 genomic variants were detected; (ii) 215 and 56 proteins were identified as exclusive or overexpressed in the affected and control kidneys, respectively; (iii) 60 miRNAs were differentially expressed, 20 of which are newly described. With omics data integration, the general conclusions are: (i) the familial amyloid renal form in Abyssinians is not a simple monogenic trait; (ii) amyloid deposition is not triggered by mutated amyloidogenic proteins but is a mix of proteins codified by wild-type genes; (iii) the form is biochemically classifiable as AA amyloidosis.