210 citations
,
February 2008 in “Nature genetics” This study found mutations in the P2RY5 gene that are linked to autosomal recessive woolly hair in Pakistani families, implicating it in hair texture determination.
117 citations
,
November 2006 in “Experimental Dermatology” This review explores the biology of wool follicles and suggests their potential use as research models in modern biology, but it reports no new findings.
112 citations
,
September 2021 in “BMC Biology” This study found that specific gene expressions during different stages of hair follicle development in Merino sheep are linked to wool-related traits, and may also be relevant to human skin, metabolic, and immune traits.
98 citations
,
May 2016 in “Genes” This review explains the genetic diversity of sheep wool keratin-associated protein genes and explores how this variation might be leveraged for selective breeding to enhance wool fiber traits.
97 citations
,
March 2010 in “The American Journal of Human Genetics” A mutation in the KRT74 gene causes tightly curled hair.