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Long Hair - Maine Coon Additional Variant (L5)
| Acronym: | |
| Gene: | FGF5 |
| Mutation: | c.577G>A |
| Inheritance: | Autosomal recessive |
| Sample type: | CHS (Cheek Swab), WBE (Whole Blood EDTA) |
Genetics and characteristics
Hair length in cats is an important characteristic along with coat color and growth pattern. The main mutant gene leading to the long-hair phenotype in mammals is the fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5). FGF5 is also the main gene associated with long hair in most cat breeds and so far four mutations within the gene have been identified, including the one causing long hair in the Maine Coon cats. The cause of long hair is a single nucleotide change causing a missense mutation and earlier termination of translation. That results in a dysfunctional and truncated protein that otherwise encodes a transcription factor, a protein that inhibits hair growth by promoting progression from anagen, the growth phase of the hair follicle, into catagen, the apoptosis-induced regression phase.
Long hair in Maine Coon cats is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, meaning two copies of the mutated FGF5 gene are required for long hair to be produced. Cats with two copies of the variant of the FGF5 gene will have long hair due to the lack of the hair growth termination signal., whereas cats with one copy or no copies of the mutated FGF5 gene will have short hair. Genetic testing can identify carriers and help breeders in future mating pairs selection.
Results Reported As
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References:
Shaffer, G. D., Ballif, B. C., Meurs, K., Shaffer, L. G., Flores-Smith, H. (2021). Identification of a novel missense mutation in the fibroblast growth factor 5 gene associated with longhair in the Maine Coon Cat. Human genetics, 140(11), 1517–1523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-021-02373-1
Drögemüller, C., Rüfenacht, S., Wichert, B., Leeb, T. (2007). Mutations within the FGF5 gene are associated with hair length in cats. Animal genetics, 38(3), 218–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2052.2007.01590.x