The Science Behind the Equine ‘Biological Passport’

Horses’ RNA could contain clues about even the sneakiest substance abuse cases, researchers have learned.
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French scientists have made a breakthrough in evaluating hidden doping histories that equine RNA can reveal, and their methods could soon lead to new doping control measures that can catch even the sneakiest substance abuse cases. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Ludovic Bailly-Chouriberry
Doping agents can disappear from equine blood quickly, making their use undetectable by traditional testing methods within a matter of hours. The horse’s DNA, though, harbors substance abuse secrets deep within its gene expression system, and it does so for days after the substance is gone.

Getting that DNA to tell its secrets, however, has been a challenge for researchers—until now. Working with whole, undamaged RNA (the part of the DNA involved in gene expression) is a delicate task requiring immediate, complex, high-tech laboratory conditions that you’ll rarely find in a horse stable. But French scientists have made a breakthrough in “breaking into” the hidden doping histories that equine RNA can reveal, and their methods could soon lead to new doping control measures that can catch even the sneakiest substance abuse cases.

“We’ve developed a method that allows us to use commercial human RNA sample extraction kits to carry out the extraction of equine RNA so that we can accurately measure gene expression within individual horses over the long-term,” said Ludovic Bailly-Chouriberry, PhD, Laboratory Director of LCH Laboratory, in Verrières le Buisson.

Essentially, this means working with a horse’s “biological passport”—a record of his readings performed through “omics,” the branch of practical science applications relating to terms ending in the suffix -omics. That includes genomics, transcriptomics (the study of the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome), proteomics (large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions), steroidomics (the study of the horse’s entire set of steroids), and metabolomics (systematic study of the unique chemical molecules that specific cellular processes generate), to name a few

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Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

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