A Second KRT71 Allele in Curly Coated Dogs

The study identified a second allele in the KRT 71 gene that contributed to curly coats in dogs, specifically in Curly Coated Retrievers, which did not possess the previously known p.Arg151Trp variant. By sequencing the genome of a Curly Coated Retriever and analyzing 221 control dogs, researchers discovered an indel variant in exon 7 causing a frameshift in the KRT 71 protein. This variant was fixed in 125 Curly Coated Retrievers and present in five of 14 other curly or wavy-coated breeds. The findings suggested that this new variant might cause a different coat phenotype and could be linked to follicular dysplasia, similar to KRT 71 variants in other species.