Simple Summary: Wool is a valuable natural material, but its quality can vary. This research explored how a gene that encodes a specific woo
Simple Summary: Wool is a valuable natural material, but its quality can vary. This research explored how a gene that encodes a specific wool protein affects some wool characteristics in Chinese Tan sheep. This is a breed known for producing fibre with a unique crimp pattern. Five different variants of the gene KRTAP13-3 were identified, and this genetic variation was found to be associated with two traits that describe variability in the heterotypic hair fibres of the sheep. This gene may have potential value as a gene marker for assisting with the genetic improvement of wool traits. Understanding the genetic factors that influence wool quality is essential for enhancing wool quality and uniformity. This study investigated the KRTAP13-3 gene in Chinese Tan sheep, a breed known for its unique wool characteristics. We analysed 232 sheep and revealed five previously identified sequence variants of KRTAP13-3 and then modelled to ascertain whether there was any association between the nucleotide sequence variation and variation in mean fibre diameter (MFD), fibre diameter standard deviation (FDSD), coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (CVFD), and mean fibre curvature (MFC). Twelve genotypes were observed, with the five variants having frequencies that ranged from 64.0% to 1.1%. Among the four variants with frequencies above 5%, nucleotide sequence variation was associated with heterotypic hair fibre diameter variation. The most common variant (A) was linked to increased FDSD and CVFD, while two other variants (B and D) revealed trends towards being associated with decreased CVFD. No associations were found with variation in the fine wool fibres from the Tan sheep. This suggests that KRTAP13-3 plays a role in regulating heterotypic hair fibre diameter variability and that it could possibly be a gene marker for improving wool traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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