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Curl-Locus (CURL)

Curly Coat Locus (CURL)

Cu Locus, Curly Hair, Curly Coat Trait, Straight Coat Trait, Wavy Coat Trait

Hair curl is an incomplete dominant characteristic caused by a mutation in the KRT71 gene. Incomplete dominance refers to the fact that a dog can carry one copy of the gene which will result in a moderately curly (known as “wavy”) coat or two copies of the mutation which will result in a tightly curled coat. Dogs lacking the mutation will typically have straight hair. This particular mutation can be found prevalently in some breeds that typically display a curly coat. The hair curl mutation can also be accompanied by other mutations such as coat length and furnishings that can also contribute to the overall look of a dog’s coat.

It is important to note that an additional Curl mutation has been more recently identified in the same gene that leads to a curly coat. This newer mutation is referred to as C2 with the original Curl mutation referred to as C1. The C1 mutation was discovered in the Portuguese Water Dog and is known to be present in multiple dog breeds, including Airedale Terrier, American Water Spaniel, Australian Labradoodle, Bichon Frise, Boykin Spaniel, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Dachshund, Fox Terrier (Wire-haired), French Bulldog, Goldendoodle, Havanese, Irish Water Spaniel, Kerry Blue Terrier, Kuvasz, Labradoodle, Lagotto Romagnolo, Maltese, Mudi, Poodle, Schapendoes, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Welsh Terrier, and Crossbreeds.
The C2 allele has been identified in the Curly Coated Retriever, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Bichon Frise, French Bulldog, Irish Terrier, Lagotto Romagnolo, Spanish Water Dog and American Water Spaniel. Researchers have also identified a small number of dogs with a curly coat that did not have either the C1 or C2 mutation which suggests that other yet unknown curly coat mutations exist.
**The test we offer will only detect the C1 mutation found in many breeds. The C2 mutation is not currently detected by this test.

Reading Your Results

A. (CLEAR/NORMAL):

These dogs have two copies of the normal gene and will have straight hair.

B. (CARRIER/AFFECTED):

These dogs have one copy of the normal gene and one copy of the mutation associated with a curly coat type. Due to incomplete dominant expression, these dogs can have a “wavy” or moderately curly coat that is in the spectrum somewhere between a curly and a straight coat. They will also if bred, pass the mutation to 50% of its offspring, on average.

C. (AT RISK/AFFECTED):

These dogs have two copies of the mutation which typically results in a tight curly coat.

Additional Details

Inheritances

Autosomal Dominant (Incomplete Dominance)

Affected gene

KRT71

Chromosome

Ch. 27

Mutation

C.451 C>T

Publication:

Cadieu E, Neff MW, Quignon P, Walsh K, Chase K, Parker HG, VonHoldt BM, Rhue A, Boyko A, Byers A, Wong A, Mosher DS, Elkahloun AG, Spady TC, Andre C, Lark KG, Cargill M, Bustamante CD, Wayne RK, Ostrander EA. Coat variation in the domestic dog is governed by variants in three genes. Science. 2009 Oct; 326(5949):150-3. [PubMed: 19713490]

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