How Did the Shar-Pei Get Its Wrinkles?

This dog breed is known for its distinctive wrinkles, and genetic researchers have figured out why those wrinkles occur. Learn about it (plus whether a Shar-Pei might be a good dog for you) in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff. Lauren Bogo Bam here looking for a dog
that will turn heads or stop passers by in their tracks.
Check out the sharp Pai with their unique loosened, wrinkled
or folded skin and hippopotamus shaped muzzle. Sharpai are a
unique member of the canine family, the stocky breed originated

(00:24):
in China. The name Sharpei literally translates to sand skin.
A full grown sharpay stands at about two feet that's
point six meters high and weighs between forty five and
sixty pounds or about seven kilo's and it lives up
to that sand skin name. The sharp pay coat is
short and coarse, falling in heavy folds around the dog's head, neck,

(00:45):
and shoulders. They're typically solidly fawn colored, but could come
in anything from white to red to brown to black,
with lighter or darker spots or points. In addition to
their prominent muzzle, Sharpei have small, deep set eyes and
tiny ears. Their tongues are blue black, which is a
rare trait in dogs. The only other breed that shows
it is the chow Chow, which is also originally from China.

(01:08):
This characteristic would seem to indicate a shared ancestor somewhere
in the canine family tree, but there's no evidence of
that ancestor to date. However, it is the wrinkles that
make the sharp pai so memorable. We spoke via email
Dr Kirsten Lynn blood Tow of Upsala University in Sweden.
They write that a sharp PA's wrinkles are caused by

(01:28):
a particular gene called hyaluronic acid synthase two or h
A S two quote HS two encodes an enzyme synthesizing
hylurinin a major component of the skin. The high larnin
is up regulated and accumulates in the thickened skin of
shar pei. In hyper Layman's terms, the high learning is

(01:49):
a sort of gel around the cells in the skin.
Among other things, it aids in hydration and elasticity in
the skin. In a sharp pai, the HS two gene
goes into overdrive, eating way too much high learning, and
that causes the trademark wrinkles, which are specially visible in
Sharpay puppies. By the time of Sharpay is fully grown,
its wrinkles have settled down and are typically just in

(02:11):
the face, head, and neck. The genetics of the Sharpe's
wrinkles helped Line blood Toe and other researchers uncover a
mystery when they used the breed is subjects in study
connecting Sharpai to a fairly common canine illness. To study
linked the h a S two gene with a tendency
of Sharpay to fall ill with periodic fever disease, sometimes

(02:31):
referred to as familial Sharpay. Fever. Symptoms include episodes of
fever that appear to rise out of nowhere and overall listlessness.
Linn blood Toe says that high learning is to blame
for periodic fever disease in Sharpei, and the team's research
bears it out. First, they compared the sharp paid genome
with other dog breeds and then compared the genome of

(02:52):
healthy and six Sharpai, searching for the mutation that was
causing the fever, and each time they came to the
same conclusion. And blood Toe said in the study, a
mutation in a strand of DNA affecting both the fever
syndrome and the wrinkled skin was found. There are other
health issues that can be challenging to Sharpei because of
the folds and sharp pay skin. They're susceptible to certain

(03:14):
skin problems and a serious eye disorder called entropion, when
the eyelid, usually the lower lid folds inwards, causing irritation
to the cornea. Centuries of breeding and inbreeding for specific
physical traits leaves many pure bred dogs susceptible to particular problems.
If you have a Sharpay in your life, talk to
your veterinarian about what sort of screenings they recommend. But

(03:37):
are Sharpay good family dogs. That depends on what you're
looking for. The American Kennel Club suggests that Sharpay puppies
are better with older children, but older dogs may be
okay with younger kids. They were initially bred as guard
dogs and hunters, and the breed tends to be intelligent
and independent, but with a fierce loyalty to their owners.
Your Sharpai will need a firm hand plan to invest

(03:59):
in obedience, ing in socialization, because as much as your
sharp Pai loves you, they're not great with strangers or
other dogs, and don't mistake their natural calm for not caring.
If they believe their territory is under threat, they'll protect
it with determination. Sharpai enjoy a leisurely walk, just not
too often, usually once or twice a day will do
and watch out during the summer months. Sharpai don't tolerate

(04:21):
the heat well. Owners would do well to take a
look at the Chinese Sharpay Club of America website. It's
chock full of information about the breed, everything from those
health issues to training to showing standards. Today's episode was
written by Patty Resumusin and produced by Tyler Clang. Brain
Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works.

(04:44):
For more in this and lots of other topics with
lots of wrinkles, visit our home Planet has to Works
dot com and for more podcast from my heart Radio,
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