Genetic analyses in a bonobo (Pan paniscus) with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a disorder that may lead to sudden death and can affect humans and other primates. In 2012, the alpha male bonobo of the Milwaukee County Zoo died suddenly and histologic evaluation found features of ARVC. This study sought to discover a possible genetic cause for ARVC in this individual. We sequenced our subject’s DNA to search for deleterious variants in genes involved in cardiovascular disorders. Variants found were annotated according to the human genome, following currently available classification used for human diseases. Sequencing from the DNA of an unrelated unaffected bonobo was also used for prediction of pathogenicity. Twenty-four variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUSs) but no pathogenic variants were found in the proband studied. Further familial, functional, and bonobo population studies are needed to determine if any of the VUSs or a combination of the VUSs found may be associated with the clinical findings. Future genotype-phenotype establishment will be beneficial for the appropriate care of the captive zoo bonobo population world-wide as well as conservation of the bobono species in its native habitat.