Abstract
The keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are constituents of cashmere fibers and variation in many KAP genes (KRTAPs) has been found to be associated with fiber traits. The gene encoding the high-sulphur KAP28-1 has been described in sheep, but it has not been identified in the goat genome. In this study, a 255-bp open reading frame on goat chromosome 1 was identified using a search of similar sequence to ovine KRTAP28-1, and that would if transcribed and translated encode a high sulphur KAP. Based on the analysis of polymerase chain reaction amplicons for the goat nucleotide sequences in 385 Longdong cashmere goats in China, five unique banding patterns were detected using single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. These represented five DNA sequences (named variants A to E) and they had the highest resemblance to KRTAP28-1 sequences from sheep, suggesting A–E are variants of caprine KRTAP28-1. DNA sequencing revealed a 2 or 4-bp deletion and eleven nucleotide sequence differences, including four non-synonymous substitutions. Of the four common variants (A, B, C and D) found in these goats, the presence of variant A was associated with decreased mean fiber diameter and this effect appeared to be additive. These results indicate that caprine KRTAP28-1 variation might have value as a molecular marker for reducing cashmere mean fiber diameter.
Highlights
Cashmere fiber is produced by the secondary fiber follicles of cashmere goats
1 and displayed the highest similarity with the KRTAP28-1 from sheep when compared to other high sulphur keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) sequences that have been identified in humans, sheep and goats
While the putative polypeptide encoded by the notional caprine KRTAP28-1 could be classified into the high sulphur KAP group, the content of cysteine (4.76 mol%) in the putative protein was the lower than previously identified caprine high sulphur KAP proteins
Summary
Cashmere fiber is produced by the secondary fiber follicles of cashmere goats. China is the largest producer of cashmere fiber, producing a third to a half of total global cashmere production, and this is widely exported. The Longdong cashmere goat is a breed that has been created as a cross between the Liaoning cashmere goat, the Inner Mongolian cashmere goat and the Ziwuling black goat. It is used for both cashmere and meat production and is well adapted to harsh environments including desert and other arid regions. The number of Longdong cashmere goats in China is approximately 1.6 million [1]
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