Cornish Rex is a breed of cat characterized by curly fur and large ears on an oval-shaped head with very pronounced cheekbones. Their curls are the result of a mutation in the LPAR6 gene, which encodes the lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6. This protein plays a role in hair growth and shedding. It is a 4 bp deletion in exon 5 that results in the creation of a premature stop codon in the LPAR6 receptor. There are several cat breeds that belong to the rexoide family, which is characterized by curly fur drue to mutations in the KRT71, LPAR6 and other genes. Rexoide cat breeds are; the Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Selkirk Rex, German Rex, LaPerm, Tennessee Rex, and Ural Rex. The curls in Devon Rex and Selkirk Rex cats are due to a mutation in the KRT71 gene (keratin gene), which encodes a protein found in the root sheath of hair follicles. The aim of the task was to confirm the mutation in the LPAR6 gene in Cornish Rex cats and show that it is a recessive mutation. We tested over 30 Cornish Rex cats and 4 crossbreedrs with ordinary domestic short-haired cats. Their DNA was obtained by isolation from oral swabs and placental tissue (two individuals). According to the standard, all colors are allowed in Cornish Rex cats, but they are most often black and white with various color patterns. These are due to the presence of a retrotransposition of the KIT gene sequence and the development of the feline endogenous retrovirus (FERV1), which is responsible for two different phenotypes associated with the W allele (dominant white and white spotting) at the KIT locus. The aim of the task was to determine if the color pattern of an individual could be used to infer its genotype at the KIT locus, which we verified using molecular methods. By analyzing hybrids between Cornish Rex and ordinary domestic short-haired cats, we demonstrated the strong influence of the Cornish Rex genotype. The analysis of the phenotypes of the second-generation crossbreeds (F2) indicates homozygous blocks and the co-inheritance of phenotypic traits of Cornish Rex cats.
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