Selection signatures reveal candidate genes for the Cornish Rex breed-specific phenotype

Zorc, Minja (author), Horvat, Tajda (author), Tanšek, Anja (author), Ferme, Tamara (author), Dovč, Peter (author)

Many coat color, behavioral and morphological traits are specific and fixed across cat breeds, with several variants influencing these traits being common among different breeds. In the domestic cat, rexoid mutations have been documented in several breeds. In the Cornish Rex, four bp deletion in the LPAR6 gene has been found to cause a frame shift and a premature stop codon. In addition to the rexoid coat, Cornish Rex cats also have a characteristic head, ear shape and body type. Analysis of the selection signatures in the Cornish Rex genome revealed several regions that are under selective pressure. One of these is located in CFA B4, in the region where the ALX1 gene is located. The ALX1 gene in Burmese cats disrupts the cranial morphogenesis and causes brachycephaly in the heterozygous state. In our study, we confirmed the presence of a deletion in LPAR6 in 20 Cornish Rex and in four F1 hybrids between Cornish Rex and domestic cat. However, we did not confirm the presence of the deletion in ALX1 in Cornish Rex cats. Genome-wide selection signature analysis was performed using ROH islands and integrated haplotype score (iHS) statistics based on publicly available SNP array data of 11 Cornish Rex cats. The selection signatures were detected on chromosomes A1, A3, C2, B1, B4 and D1.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cat, Cornish Rex, rex phenotype, selection signature, SNP array
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 3, art. 368
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-155309
• UDC: 636.8:575
• ISSN on article: 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes15030368
• COBISS.SI-ID: 189424131
• Publication date in RUL: 28.03.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Genes
• Shortened title: Genes
• Publisher: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
• ISSN: 2073-4425
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523100185

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: mačke, genetika, pasme, cornish rex, genotip, selekcija, kandidatni geni

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P4-0220
• Name: Primerjalna genomika in genomska biodiverziteta