{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Development of Woolly Hair and Hairlessness in a CRISPR-Engineered Mutant Mouse Model with KRT71 Mutations.
{Author}: Zhang T;Yao H;Wang H;Sui T;
{Journal}: Cells
{Volume}: 12
{Issue}: 13
{Year}: 2023 07 5
{Factor}: 7.666
{DOI}: 10.3390/cells12131781
{Abstract}: Hypotrichosis simplex (HS) and woolly hair (WH) are rare and monogenic disorders of hair loss. HS, characterized by a diffuse loss of hair, usually begins in early childhood and progresses into adulthood. WH displays strong coiled hair involving a localized area of the scalp or covering the entire side. Mutations in the keratin K71(KRT71) gene have been reported to underlie HS and WH. Here, we report the generation of a mouse model of HS and WH by the co-injection of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA, targeting exon6 into mouse zygotes. The Krt71-knockout (KO) mice displayed the typical phenotypes, including Krt71 protein expression deletion and curly hair in their full body. Moreover, we found that mice in 3-5 weeks showed a new phenomenon of the complete shedding of hair, which was similar to nude mice. However, we discovered that the mice exhibited no immune deficiency, which was a typical feature of nude mice. To our knowledge, this novel mouse model generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system mimicked woolly hair and could be valuable for hair disorder studies.