A Mutation in the Serum and Glucocorticoid-Inducible Kinase-Like Kinase (SGKL) Gene Is Associated with Defective Hair Growth in Mice

The study identified a mutation in the Sgkl gene associated with defective hair growth in a mutant mouse strain known as YPC, characterized by thin, short hairs and poorly developed hair structures. Researchers conducted a genome-wide linkage analysis using 1,010 backcross progeny and 123 microsatellite markers, mapping the mutant locus to a 0.2-cM region on mouse chromosome 1. This region contained a single C-to-A nucleotide substitution in the Sgkl gene, resulting in a nonsense mutation that disrupts the function of the SGKL protein, a kinase involved in hair follicle development. The mutation led to the loss of a critical serine residue necessary for SGKL activation, implicating the SGKL signaling pathway as essential for normal hair development in mammals.