Agouti gene
Encyclopedia
The Agouti gene is responsible for determining whether a mammal
's coat is banded (agouti) or of a solid color (non-agouti). The chief product of the Agouti gene is Agouti signalling peptide
(ASP), but there are a number of alternative splice products.
In dog
s, the Agouti gene is associated with various coat colors and patterns, including sable and tan points.
In horse
s, the Agouti gene suppresses the action of the extension locus
that produces black
pigment (eumelanin) into point coloration on the mane, tail, lower legs and tips of the ears, thus allowing the underlying red pigment, pheomelanin, to appear on the body. This produces the color known as bay.
Mice that are heterozygous for the Agouti yellow allele have yellow coats and tendencies towards obesity. Mice that are homozygous for the Agouti yellow allele have the lethal gene. Mice that are homozygous for the non-agouti allele and non-agouti-yellow allele have non-agouti coat color (such as black).
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
's coat is banded (agouti) or of a solid color (non-agouti). The chief product of the Agouti gene is Agouti signalling peptide
Agouti signalling peptide
Agouti signalling peptide, a product of the Agouti gene, is a peptide consisting of 131 amino acids. Its discovery was published in 1994 in the scientific journal Nature where its functional properties were described...
(ASP), but there are a number of alternative splice products.
In dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, the Agouti gene is associated with various coat colors and patterns, including sable and tan points.
In horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, the Agouti gene suppresses the action of the extension locus
Melanocortin 1 receptor
The melanocortin 1 receptor , also known as melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor , melanin-activating peptide receptor, or melanotropin receptor, is a G protein-coupled receptor which binds to a class of pituitary peptide hormones known as the melanocortins, of which include adrenocorticotropic...
that produces black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
pigment (eumelanin) into point coloration on the mane, tail, lower legs and tips of the ears, thus allowing the underlying red pigment, pheomelanin, to appear on the body. This produces the color known as bay.
Mice that are heterozygous for the Agouti yellow allele have yellow coats and tendencies towards obesity. Mice that are homozygous for the Agouti yellow allele have the lethal gene. Mice that are homozygous for the non-agouti allele and non-agouti-yellow allele have non-agouti coat color (such as black).