ABSTRACT
The rex (Re) mutation was originally described by Crew and Auerbach at the University of Edinburgh using mice obtained from the Rayleigh Rat and Mouse Farms in Essex. Adult rex mutant mice are identified by curly vibrissae and short and curly guard hairs that are irregularly distributed in the coat. Six-month-old denuded mice are almost totally without hair and become blind. The rex mouse mutation was given this name because of its similarity to a rabbit mutation of that name. Rex was considered to be phenotypically very similar to the mouse mutation caracul (Ca). Other mouse mutations have curly hair and vibrissae including waved-1 (wa-1), waved-2 (wa-2) and wellhaarig (we). Ultrastructural studies in wavy coat (Rewc) mouse follicles found that the inner root sheath cuticle and Huxley’s layer lacked fibrous material when compared to normally differentiated mouse inner root sheaths.
