Polygenic Control of the Wavy Coat of the NCT Mouse: Involvement of an Intracisternal A Particle Insertional Mutation of the Protease, Serine 53 (Prss53) Gene, and a Modifier Gene

January 2022 in “ Mammalian Genome ”

Masayuki Mori, Chang Liu, Takahiro Yoshizawa, Hiroki Miyahara, Jian Dai, Yuichi Igarashi, Xiaoran Cui, Ying Li, Xiaojing Kang, Keiichi Higuchi

Prss53 protease serine 53 intracisternal A particle polygenic chromosome 7 chromosome 9 curly hair gene expression knockout mice modifier gene curly hair gene wavy coat gene

Studysummary This study found that the wavy coat trait in Nakano cataract mice is polygenic, involving major and minor genes, and resembles human curly scalp hair associated with the PRSS53 gene alteration. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study explored the genetic basis of the wavy coat in Nakano cataract mice (NCT), identifying a major gene on chromosome 7 and a minor gene on chromosome 9 as contributors. An insertional mutation in the Prss53 gene, akin to a human polymorphism linked to curly hair, was found but did not affect gene expression in NCT skin. Knockout mice for Prss53 showed vague wavy coats, and crossbreeding experiments revealed varying coat waviness, underscoring the polygenic nature of the trait and its resemblance to human curly hair associated with PRSS53 alterations.

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