Wow. Scientists have found the secret of curly hair. Well, they have, if you are a dog – it’s a variant of KR171 found in breeds such as the Irish Water Spaniel, Bichon Frise, & Airedale.
Together with FGF5 & RSP02, the gene explains virtually all dog hair types.
“We don't yet know the precise roles, if any, of these three genes in the variety of hair textures seen among humans," said Dr. Ostrander, the head of the lab where the research was done. "What's important for human health is the way we found the genes involved in dog coats and figured out how they work together, rather than the genes themselves."
The method seems impressive. Taking just 1000 dogs, representing 80 of the 209 known breeds of dog (an average of 12½ dogs of each selected breed), they were able to tease out the combination of the 3 genes which are responsible for 7 distinct types of coat, defined by factors such as whether the hair is long or short, curly or wiry & whether the dog has what are known as ‘facial furnishings’
Of course modern pedigree dogs have not evolved by natural selection since they diverged from wolves some 15,000 years ago - the genetic changes in the dog genome that create multiple coat types are more likely to have been pursued by breeders in just the past 200 years.
But the researchers hope that with methods of analysis evolved from this unique population structure “we can do it as well with complex diseases”
Together with FGF5 & RSP02, the gene explains virtually all dog hair types.
“We don't yet know the precise roles, if any, of these three genes in the variety of hair textures seen among humans," said Dr. Ostrander, the head of the lab where the research was done. "What's important for human health is the way we found the genes involved in dog coats and figured out how they work together, rather than the genes themselves."
The method seems impressive. Taking just 1000 dogs, representing 80 of the 209 known breeds of dog (an average of 12½ dogs of each selected breed), they were able to tease out the combination of the 3 genes which are responsible for 7 distinct types of coat, defined by factors such as whether the hair is long or short, curly or wiry & whether the dog has what are known as ‘facial furnishings’
Of course modern pedigree dogs have not evolved by natural selection since they diverged from wolves some 15,000 years ago - the genetic changes in the dog genome that create multiple coat types are more likely to have been pursued by breeders in just the past 200 years.
But the researchers hope that with methods of analysis evolved from this unique population structure “we can do it as well with complex diseases”
Links
The NHGRI Dog Genome Project
Variants in Three Genes Account for Most Dog Coat Differences
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The NHGRI Dog Genome Project
Variants in Three Genes Account for Most Dog Coat Differences
Related post
More curlers
