Genetics of the W locus in foxes and expression of its lethal effects.
The Georgian white mutation for coat color in foxes is inherited as a partially dominant character. It is allelic to the previously observed white-faced and platinum mutations. It was established that large litter size in Georgian white females and long daylight during pregnancy promote embryonic viability in homozygotes for this mutation. As a result, in offspring segregation patterns for coat color the proportion of homozygotes increases and that of heterozygotes decreases. It is suggested that a competitive relationship between embryos with different genotypes is established as early as at the preimplantation stage.
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000235:genetics; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006200:Hair Color; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy