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A novel KRT71 variant in curly‐coated dogs
Author(s) -
Salmela E.,
Niskanen J.,
Arumilli M.,
Donner J.,
Lohi H.,
Hytönen M. K.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
animal genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2052
pISSN - 0268-9146
DOI - 10.1111/age.12746
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , frameshift mutation , exon , coat , missense mutation , gene , allele , phenotype , paleontology
Summary Curly fur is a common phenotype in many dog breeds, known to result from a missense variant (c.451C>T) in exon 2 of the keratin 71 ( KRT71 ) gene. During screening for this variant across various breeds, we found that Curly Coated Retrievers (CCRs) fixed with the trait did not carry the known variant. By analysis of whole‐genome sequencing data of one CCR we identified a novel genetic cause for curly fur. We found a novel structural variant in exon 7 of the KRT71 gene (c.1266_1273delinsACA) that was predicted to result in a frameshift and stop loss, therefore significantly affecting the structure of the protein, if translated. The variant was also found at lower frequencies in five other breeds, including Lagotto Romagnolo, Bichon Frise, Spanish Water Dog, Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Irish Terrier. One curly‐coated Lagotto carried neither of the two KRT71 variants. These results identify a second variant for curly coat in KRT71 and suggest the existence of additional alleles. This study enables the development of an additional KRT71 gene test for breeders to understand and manage coat types.