The Mouse Frizzy (Fr) And Rat ‘Hairless’ (FrCR) Mutations Are Natural Variants Of Protease Serine S1 Family Member 8 (Prss8)
February 2010
in “
Experimental Dermatology
”
TLDR The frizzy mouse and hairless rat mutations are due to changes in the Prss8 gene.
The study investigated the genetic basis of the mouse frizzy (fr) and rat ‘hairless’ (frCR) mutations, identifying them as natural variants of the protease serine S1 family member 8 (Prss8). Researchers focused on a 0.6-Mb region containing fewer than 30 genes and discovered a T to A transversion in Prss8 associated with the fr allele, leading to a valine to aspartate substitution. Crossbreeding experiments confirmed that this mutation was responsible for the frizzy phenotype. Additionally, a 12-bp deletion in the Prss8 gene was found in the ‘hairless’ rat, confirming the orthologous nature of these mutations. However, no changes were detected in the Prss8 coding sequences of the ‘fuzzy’ rat variant.