Progressive Hair Loss And Myocardial Degeneration In Rough Coat Mice: Reduced Lysyl Oxidase-Like (LOXL) In The Skin And Heart

The study examined rough coat (rc) mice, which experienced progressive hair loss and myocardial degeneration, focusing on the lysyl oxidase-like (LOXL) gene due to its reduced expression in affected tissues. Despite decreased LOXL levels in the skin and heart, no mutations were found in the loxl gene, indicating it was not the direct cause of the rc phenotype. The study involved 129 F2 backcross animals and monitored 24 rc/rc mice for body weight over 17 weeks. The findings suggested that while LOXL reduction might contribute to extracellular matrix abnormalities, the gene responsible for the rc phenotype remained unidentified, requiring further investigation.