A New Recessive Hair Mutation on Chromosome 1

Authors: Louise Dionne, Richard Samples

Source of Support: This research was supported by NIH/NCRR grant RR01183 to the Mouse Mutant Resource (M.T.Davisson, PI) and Cancer Center Core Grant CA34196.

Mutation (allele) symbol: slck

Mutation (allele) name: slick hair

Gene symbol: slck

Strain of origin: CXJ1/SALK-MOB

Current strain name: CXJ1/SlkJ-slck/J

Stock #: 006603 (view JAX® Mice Data Sheet for additional information including Price and Supply Information)

Phenotype categories: hair and skin

Origin and Description

A new recessive mutation that causes mice to have a disheveled coat has been discovered in a colony of CXJ1/SlK-MOB mice at the Jackson Laboratory, and has been mapped to Chromosome 1.

Mice homozygous for this recessive mutation are recognized by unkempt hair (see photo). At three weeks of age the phenotype is obvious and by five weeks of age the hair is less disheveled. Homozygous mice have no behavioral abnormalities, live normal life spans and breed normally. The colony is maintained by mating homozygous mice to heterozygous mice.

Genetic Analysis

Using our standard mapping protocol CXJ1/SlkJ-slck/J homozygous mice were mated to SWR/J mice. The F1 progeny from these matings were then intercrossed and 71 of the affected F2’s were used for linkage analysis. This mutation was mapped distal to D1Mit373 (26.5 Mb) and proximal to D1Mit21 (66.9 Mb). A search of MGI did not indicate any obvious gene candidates in this region.

Pathology

A pathological screen was performed on three homozygous mice at four weeks of age and four homozygous mice at six weeks of age,  and the eyes of two homozygous mice and 2 heterozygous at three weeks of age were examined. No gross abnormalities were observed. Hearing as assessed by auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing of four homozygous mutants at four weeks of age revealed no hearing loss.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Jane Farley for discovering the mouse, Bo Chang for the eye examination, Chantal Longo-Guess for the hearing test and Coleen Kane for her technical assistance.