ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Volume 14 | Issue 3 (January 2024)

Spotting the Pattern: A Review on White Coat Color in the Domestic Horse.

Animals (Basel). January 2024;14(3):.

Aiden McFadden¹, Micaela Vierra², Katie Martin³, Samantha A Brooks⁴, Robin E Everts⁵, Christa Lafayette⁶

¹ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ² Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ³ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ⁴ Department of Animal Sciences, UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.; ⁵ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.; ⁶ Etalon Inc., Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.

Abstract

Traits such as shape, size, and color often influence the economic and sentimental value of a horse. Around the world, horses are bred and prized for the colors and markings that make their unique coat patterns stand out from the crowd. The underlying genetic mechanisms determining the color of a horse's coat can vary greatly in their complexity. For example, only two genetic markers are used to determine a horse's base coat color, whereas over 50 genetic variations have been discovered to cause white patterning in horses. Some of these white-causing mutations are benign and beautiful, while others have a notable impact on horse health. Negative effects range from slightly more innocuous defects, like deafness, to more pernicious defects, such as the lethal developmental defect incurred when a horse inherits two copies of the Lethal White Overo allele. In this review, we explore, in detail, the etiology of white spotting and its overall effect on the domestic horse to Spot the Pattern of these beautiful (and sometimes dangerous) white mutations.

Keywords

coat color; depigmentation; horse; mutation; white spotting;

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