title: Harlequin colour in the Great Dane dog.
abstract: Breeding data from Eire and Great Britain confirm the hypothesis of Sponenberg (1985) that the harlequin colour of the Great Dane breed of dog is due the combined action of a dominant gene H with the merle gene M in the genotype H+M+. The typical bluish coloration induced by M is modified to white by the action of H. The H gene is a prenatal lethal when homozygous HH and this study offers clear indication that the heterozygous H+ interacts with M to reduce the viability of white merle homozygotes H+MM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Zoology and Genetics, University College, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D004285:Dogs / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D005838:Genotype; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*