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Description
Currently, there have been more than a dozen Dominant White alleles identified within the KIT gene. Here are the first 11 that have been described:
| Allele |
Breed |
Origination |
Characteristics |
| W1 |
Franches Montagnes |
Cigale, 1957 |
Usually pure white |
| W2 |
Thoroughbred |
KY Colonel, 1946 |
Usually pure white |
| W3 |
Arabian |
R Khasper, 1996 |
Usually pure white |
| W4 |
Camarillo White Horse |
Sultan, 1912 |
White withinterspersed flecks or regions of pigmented skin and hair, which may fade with time. |
| W5 |
Thoroughbred |
Puchilingui, 1984 |
Exhibit a huge range in white phenotypes from all white to sabino or tobiano like markings. |
| W6 |
Thoroughbred |
not published |
|
| W7 |
Thoroughbred |
not published |
|
| W8 |
Icelandic |
not published |
sabino-like white spotting, mottling, and roaning |
| W9 |
Holstein Horse |
not published |
All white |
| W10 |
Quarter Horse |
GQ Santana, 2000 |
Exhibit a wide range of phenotypes similar to that of W5. |
| W11 |
South German Draft Horse |
not published |
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Dominant White (W5, W10) Testing
Animal Genetics offers testing for both the W5 and W10 Dominant White genes. However, if you believe your horse is included in one of the other 9 families identified as carrying a Dominant White allele and would like to confirm it carries the specific KIT mutation, please call our office or email us for more information on possible testing.
Cost
$25.00 per sample for W5 or W10.
Sample Collection
Collect sample by pulling (not cutting) 20-30
mane or tail hairs with roots attached. It is important that you
pull the hairs and confirm that the actual root of the hair is being
collected. The root contains the genetic material of your horse
that is needed for DNA testing. Therefore, cut hairs do not provide
an adequate sample of your horse. Place the collected hairs of each
horse in a separate zip-lock bag labeling the bags accordingly with
the horses name or identification number. Download and complete
a submission form for each sample and send along with payment to
Animal Genetics for testing.
Results
Results are given using the following symbolic
notation:
|
n/n |
This horse does not carry the specific Dominant White gene mutation that was tested. |
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n/W5
or
n/W10 |
Horse carries one copy of the specific Dominant White KIT mutation that was tested for. Horse will usually exhibit a coat pattern phenotype associated with the particular mutation which could vary greatly from a completely white coat to small areas of white depending on which mutation is involved |
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W5/W5
or
W10/W10 |
Not believed to be possible but would indicate that the horse carries two copies of the specific Dominant White KIT mutation that was tested. |
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