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Interaction of MC1R and PMEL alleles on solid coat colors in H ighland cattle
Author(s) -
Schmutz Sheila M.,
Dreger Dayna L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
animal genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2052
pISSN - 0268-9146
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2012.02361.x
Subject(s) - coat , biology , allele , food science , genetics , gene , paleontology
Summary Six solid colors occur in H ighland cattle: black, dun, silver dun and red, yellow, and white. These six coat colors are explained by a non‐epistatic interaction of the genotypes at the MC1R and PMEL genes. A three base pair deletion in the PMEL gene leading to the deletion of a leucine from the signal peptide is observed in dilute‐colored H ighland cattle (c.50_52delTTC, p.Leu18del). The mutant PMEL allele acts in a semi‐dominant manner. Dun G alloway cattle also have one copy of the deletion allele, and silver dun G alloway cattle have two copies. The presence of two adjacent leucine residues at the site of this deletion is highly conserved in human, horse, mouse and chicken as well as in cattle with undiluted coat colors. H ighland and G alloway cattle thus exhibit a similar dose‐dependent dilution effect based on the number of PMEL :c.50_51delTTC alleles, as C harolais cattle with PMEL :c.64G> A alleles. The PMEL :c.64G>A allele was not found in H ighland or G alloway cattle.