Canine-dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs is a disease of the myocardium 
associated with dilatation and impaired contraction of the ventricles and is 
suspected to have a genetic cause. A missense mutation in the desmin gene (DES) 
causes DCM in a human family. Human DCM closely resembles the canine disease. In 
the present study, we evaluated whether DES gene mutations are responsible for 
DCM in Dobermann dogs. We have isolated bacterial artificial chromosome clones 
(BACs) containing the canine DES gene and determined the chromosomal location by 
fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Using data deposited in the NCBI 
trace archive and GenBank, the canine DES gene DNA sequence was assembled and 
seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. From the canine 
DES gene BAC clones, a polymorphic microsatellite marker was isolated. The 
microsatellite marker and four informative desmin SNPs were typed in a Dobermann 
family with frequent DCM occurrence, but the disease phenotype did not associate 
with a desmin haplotype. We concluded that mutations in the DES gene do not play 
a role in Dobermann DCM. Availability of the microsatellite marker, SNPs and DNA 
sequence reported in this study enable fast evaluation of the DES gene as a DCM 
candidate gene in other dog breeds with DCM occurrence.