Abstract :
It is known that keratin-associated proteins 6.2 gene (KAP6.2) is an important structural gene responsible for the cashmere. So in
this study, the polymorphism of KAP6.2 gene was firstly detected by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods in 1052 cashmere
goat samples. The results showed that two alleles were detected at the locus, which were named as allele O and X. Frequencies
of KAP6.2-O allele in Inner Mongolia White cashmere (n = 847) and Shaanbei White cashmere goat breeds (n = 205) were 1.000
and 0.856, respectively. Inner Mongolia White cashmere goat was monomorphic at this locus, while Shaanbei White cashmere
goat was at low polymorphic level. Therefore, the allele KAP6.2-X was considered as the breed characterization of Shaanbei White
cashmere goat at KAP6.2 locus. Further sequencing analysis showed that a 24-bp deletion mutation was described for the first time
in Shaanbei, while Inner Mongolia White cashmere goat did not have the deletion. The study indicated that deletion mutation was
predicted as a possible cause for the multiple pattern cashmere in Shaanbei White cashmere goat.
© 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
