# Detection of a Second KAP22 Family Member in Sheep and Analysis of Its Genetic Variation and Associations with Selected Wool Fibre Traits

## TL;DR

Researchers found a new KRTAP22-2 gene variant in sheep, but it does not seem to affect wool traits like it does in goats.

## Contribution

Identification of a second KRTAP22 family member in sheep and analysis of its genetic variation.

## Key findings

- Two sequence variants of the ovine KRTAP22-2 gene were identified.
- No association was found between KRTAP22-2 genotypes and wool traits in Chinese Tan lambs.
- Ovine KRTAP22-2 variants were similar to goat variants, but no matching mRNA was found in sheep databases.

## Abstract

Wool quality depends in part on the proteins that make up the fibres, including a class of proteins known as the keratin-associated proteins (KAPs). The gene KRTAP22-2, which encodes a high glycine-tyrosine KAP, was recently identified in goats and reported to affect the important cashmere fibre trait of mean fibre diameter. It has not been identified in other species, including sheep and humans. In this study, we identified ovine KRTAP22-2 and revealed two sequence variants of the gene. We investigated whether different genotypes were associated with wool traits in Chinese Tan lambs, but found no association between them and the wool traits examined. We searched genetic databases to see if the gene is expressed in sheep, but did not find any mRNA matches. These findings suggest potential species-specific differences and emphasise the need for further research to better understand this gene’s role in sheep.

The keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are a class of wool proteins. They form a matrix that cross-links the wool intermediate filament keratins. The KAPs are thought to affect wool fibre structure and properties and have been associated with variation in wool fibre traits. There are many KAP genes in sheep, but not all have been identified. Recently a second member of the KAP22 gene family, KRTAP22-2, was identified in goats, and variation in this caprine gene was associated with cashmere fibre traits. In this study, we identified ovine KRTAP22-2. To ascertain the extent of variation in KRTAP22-2, sheep from eight breeds were investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. This revealed two unique banding patterns, which upon sequencing gave two novel DNA sequences. These differed by two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region. Three genotypes of the novel KRTAP22-2 sequences were observed in the eight sheep breeds studied. The ovine KRTAP22-2 variant sequences were similar to a goat KRTAP22-2 variant, but a search of ovine expressed sequence tags revealed no matching mRNA sequences in the ovine databases. In a second part of the study, no association was found between the KRTAP22-2 genotypes and mean fibre diameter, fibre diameter standard deviation, coefficient of variation in fibre diameter, and mean fibre curvature, for either the fine wool or heterotypic hair fibres of 255 Chinese Tan lambs. These results suggests that sheep have a KRTAP22-2 gene, but that there may be species-specific differences in the gene’s expression or function. The gene may not affect wool traits in the way that it appears to in goats.