Merino Sheep Selected for Divergent Fleece Weight Do Not Differ in the Proportion of Sulphur-containing Keratin Wool Proteins M.bray

Sixteen, 18-month old Merino rams from the SARDI Selection Demonstration Flocks (SDFs) were selected for divergent estimated breeding values (EBVs) for wool production. All sheep had similar total follicle numbers and live weights, and were fed a high-S or a low-S containing diet for 6 weeks prior to the collection of wool samples. Wool growth rate (WGR) and wool S concentration were measured. Skin samples taken at this time were frozen at –80C and RNA was extracted (Chomczsynski and Sacchi, 1987). A Northern blot technique was used to quantify the expression of UHS (represented by KAP 4.2), HS (represented by KAP 2.12), LS (represented by K 2.10) and highglycine tyrosine (HGT; represented by KAP6.1a) sequences.