Feline HAIR-itability lies in the FGF5 gene

It has been long known that long hair in cats is a recessive trait and is only phenotypically displayed in the homozygous recessive individual (ll). A shorthaired cat can however have two possible genotypes. The cat can be homozygous for shorthair (LL) or it can be heterozygous (lL or Ll). Feline hair length was also known to be primarily controlled by a limited number of genes, but none had been identified. Until recently…


Previous studies using mice, identified the fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) gene as an inhibitor of hair elongation with FGF5 knock-outs displaying prolongation of the anagen VI growth phase of the hair cycle, subsequently resulting in long hair in these mice. This interested veterinarians and cat breeders a like and lead to research determining the likelihood of FGF5 being a functional candidate for the L gene in cats. Sequence analysis of the FGF5 gene in short and long-haired cats revealed four polymorphisms in the coding sequence and a missense mutation in the homozygous state in 25 long-haired Persian, Ragdoll, Somali and cross bred cats. Additionally 55 short-haired cats were identified to be void of this allele. This provided evidence that the missense mutation in the FGF5 gene correlates with hair length differences amongst cat breeds.

Recognition of the feline L locus represents an important advancement in the genetic awareness of differences in hair length of various cat breeds. Such genetic understanding could provide a useful tool for cat breeders as FGF5 genotyping will enable them to identify carriers of the recessive l allele for long hair, allowing them to selectively breed for favoured hair length traits.

REFERENCES
Primary:
Drogemuller , C, Rufenacht S, Wichert B, and Leeb T, 2007. Mutations within the FGF5 gene are associated with hair length in cats, Animal Genetics, Epub ahead of print

Secondary:
Housley D.J. & Venta P.J. (2006) The long and the short of it: evidence that FGF5 is a major determinant of canine heritability. Animal Genetics 37, 309–15.

Sundberg , J.P., Rourk M.H., Boggess D., Hogan M.E., Sundberg B.A. & Bertolino A.P. (1997) Angora mouse mutation: altered hair cycle, follicular dystrophy, phenotypic maintenance of skin grafts, and changes in keratin expression. Veterinary Pathology 34, 171–9.

Suzuki, S., Ota Y., Ozawa K. & Imamura T. (2000) Dual-mode regulation of hair growth cycle by two Fgf-5 gene products. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 114, 456–63.

http://www.cat-world.com.au/Loci2.htm

Posted By Michelle Liberts
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