Description: In the American Hairless Terrier (AHT), hairlessness is inherited in a recessive way. This means that an individual is hairless only if it inherits the mutation from both parents, while the homozygous condition is not lethal, as it is in other hairless breeds. The mutation responsible for hairlessness c.287_290delTTAG was identified in 2017 in the SGK3 gene (serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase family member 3 gene). This 4-base alters the reading frame of the protein at amino acid 96 creating a new protein sequence for 50 amino acids and a premature stop at amino acid 157. This mutation is thought to knock out the original function of the gene. In mouse studies, SGK3 has been shown to be important in the postnatal development of hair follicles. This also applies to dogs, because AHTs are born with fur that is lost during the first two months after birth (so-called hypotrichosis)
By detecting the mentioned mutation, it is possible to find out the genotype of the analysed individual, which can be as follows: N/N – coated (furry) dogs did not inherit any mutation either from the father or from the mother, or it can be an N/P carrier (heterozygote) who inherited the mutation either from the mother or father. Hairless individuals inherited two mutations, one from the mother and one from the father. When two carriers are mated, theoretically 75% of puppies will be born with the hairy variant (without the mutation or with one copy) and 25% of hairless puppies that have both copies of the mutation.
Inheritance: autosomal recessive
Mutation: c.287_290delTTAG in SGK3 gene
Sample: EDTA whole blood (1.0 ml) or 2 buccal brushes. For official purposes, the confirmation of the dog’s identity by Veterinarian is recommended.
The analysis is suitable for the following breeds: American Hairless Terrier
