# Skinbase

##### Mouse Skin and Hair Database

## Caracul(Krt2-6g-ca) Chr15

- Dorsal skin section taken at 10X magnification from an adult C3HeFeJLe Krt2-6gCaJ mutant mouse. Hair follicles are in telogen and appear to be normal.
- Plucked hairs mounted on a glass slide and examined with white light reveal the variation in thickness of all hair fiber types with slight undulation along the length. These hairs are from an adult C3HeFeJLe Krt2-6gCaJ mutant mouse.

Caracul (Krt2-6gCa), keratin complex 2, basic, gene 6g, Chr. 15, 63.2 cM, Genome Coordinates: 102213867-102223026
Alleles of the caracul mutation arose spontaneously in the 1930s and many more have been identified subsequently. This semidominant mutation was mapped to Chromosome 15 and ultimately determined to be due to mutations in the keratin complex 2, basic, gene 6g. Mutant mice have curved vibrissae that grow in different directions in contrast to those of normal mice that are long, straight and grow in parallel to each other. As vibrissae are evident around the time of birth, this feature can be used to identify mutant mice as early as one day of age. The pelage hairs also have a wavy pattern. Variations occur in the different allelic mutations.
Limited histologic studies did not identify any structural abnormalities. Examination of plucked hairs revealed all hair types were present but each hair type varied in thickness along the length of the fibers and the fibers had multiple small bends unlike normal mouse hairs that were relatively uniform in thickness and straight except for specific areas that bend associated with specific hair types.

### References

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Cook SA, Remutation to caracul, Mouse Genome 1994;92(1):116
Sweet HO, Remutation - Ca<12J>, Mouse Genome 1994;92():672
Sundberg JP, Sweet HO, The Caracul (Ca and Ca<d>) Mutations, Chromosome 15, In: Handbook of Mouse Mutations with Skin and Hair Abnormalities: Animal Models and Biomedical Tools. Sundberg, JP (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 211-216, 1994.
Sweet HO; Davisson MT, Remutations at The Jackson Laboratory (Update to Mouse Genome 1993; 91:862-5 - J16313), Mouse Genome 1995;93(4):1030-4
Harris B, Remutation Ca<13J>, Mouse Genome 1995;93(1):149
Aoki N; Tsujimoto T, Isolation of a novel mouse type II cytokeratin gene, mK6irs, MGI Direct Data Submission 2000;():
Kikkawa Y; Oyama A; Ishii R; Miura I; Amano T; Ishii Y; Yoshikawa Y; Masuya H; Wakana S; Shiroishi T; Taya C; Yonekawa H, A small deletion hotspot in the type II keratin gene mK6irs1/Krt2-6g on mouse chromosome 15, a candidate for causing the wavy hair of the caracul (Ca) mutation., Genetics 2003 Oct;165(2):721-33
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