Abstract
Simple SummaryKeratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are key constituents of wool and hair fibers. In this study, the ovine keratin-associated protein 21-1 gene (KRTAP21-1) was identified, and association analysis showed that its variation affected wool yield, which prompted the conclusion that the gene may have potential use as a genetic maker for improving wool yield.Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are key constituents of wool and hair fibers. In this study, an ovine KAP gene encoding a HGT-KAP protein was identified. The gene was different from all of the HGT-KAP genes identified in sheep, but was closely related to the human KAP21-1 gene, suggesting that it represented the unidentified ovine KRTAP21-1. Four variants (named A to D) of ovine KRTAP21-1 were found in 360 Merino × Southdown-cross lambs from four sire lines. Three sequence variations were detected among these variants. Two of the sequence variations were located upstream of the coding region and the remaining one was a synonymous variation in the coding sequence. Six genotypes were found in the Merino-cross lambs, with only two of the genotypes (AA and AC) occurring at a frequency of over 5%. Wool from sheep of genotype AA had a higher yield than that from AC sheep (p = 0.014), but tended to have a lower greasy fleece weight (GFW) than that of genotype AC (P = 0.078). This suggests that variation in KRTAP21-1 affects wool yield and the gene may have potential for use as a genetic maker for improving wool yield.
Highlights
Wool keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are structural components of the wool and hair fibers.KAPs form a matrix that embeds the keratin intermediate filaments (KIFs) and they are believed to play a key role in defining the physico-mechanical properties of wool fibers [1]
We describe the identification of this open reading frame (ORF), report sequence variation in it in different sheep as detected by polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis, and reveal associations between variation in the gene and variation in some wool traits
There were other differences between the sequences identified in this study and the Texel sheep genome assembly sequence
Summary
Wool keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are structural components of the wool and hair fibers. KAPs form a matrix that embeds the keratin intermediate filaments (KIFs) and they are believed to play a key role in defining the physico-mechanical properties of wool fibers [1]. HGT-KAPs are principally found in the orthocortex of the wool fiber and they are the first KAPs expressed after the synthesis of KIFs. The HGT-KAP content varies considerably in different wools, Animals 2019, 9, 450; doi:10.3390/ani9070450 www.mdpi.com/journal/animals. The wide range in the relative content of HGT-KAPs in wool from different breeds, and the low content of HGT-KAPs in sheep with the felting luster mutation [4], raises intriguing questions about the function of these proteins in determining wool fiber characteristics
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