Hairlessness – Scottish Deerhound Type

Acronym:	HAIRLESS
Gene:	SGK3
Mutation:	c.137_138insT
Inheritance:	Autosomal Recessive
Sample type:	CHS (Cheek Swab), WBE (Whole Blood EDTA)
Method:

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Genetics and characteristics

Hairlessness is a rare genetic abnormality that can occur in dogs and is characterized by the complete loss of hair within the first few months of age. Some dog breeds such as Chinese Crested and Peruvian and Mexican Hairless dogs are bred for hairless appearance, but in some other dog breeds such as Scottish Deerhounds (SD), the trait is not that welcomed. So far two genetic mutations have been identified that cause hairlessness - variants in the FOXI3 and the SGK3 gene. The type of hairlessness found in Scottish Deerhound dogs is a consequence of a single base insertion within the SGK3 gene resulting in a truncated protein. SGK3 belongs to a serine/threonine protein kinase superfamily whose members are involved in several cellular functions such as cell growth, proliferation, and migration, and defects in that protein cause defective hair follicle development and abnormal hair cycle.

The type of hairlessness specific to Scottish Deerhound dogs shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. That means dogs carrying two copies of the mutated SGK3 gene will lose hair during the first few weeks of life permanently. Dogs with only one copy of the mutated gene will not lose the hair but may act as carriers and pass the mutation to their offspring. Early genetic testing can help identify affected dogs that carry the mutation and prevent their further breeding by proper selection of mating pairs.

 

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Results Reported As

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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References:

Hytönen, M.K., Lohi, H. (2019). A frameshift insertion in SGK3 leads to recessive hairlessness in Scottish Deerhounds: a candidate gene for human alopecia conditions. Hum Genet. 138, 535–539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-019-02005-9

Parker H. G., Whitaker D. T., Harris A. C., Ostrander E. A., (2020). Whole Genome Analysis of a Single Scottish Deerhound Dog Family Provides Independent Corroboration That a SGK3 Coding Variant Leads to Hairlessness, G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 10(1), 293–297. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.119.400885