[Jacob-list] (no subject)

[Dan Carpenter]

I don't know about rabbits or brindle dogs, but calico cats are a result of
the fact that female mammalian cells only utilize one X chromosome, the
other is "packaged" into a structure called a Barr body.which one of the two
X chromosomes varies from cell to cell within the organism.  (Male calicos
are XXY and nearly always sterile.)

 

My best guess on the different color patch in Jacobs is that somewhere in
early development a cell mutated and all of the descendents of that cell
carry the mutation.  If that is true, these somatic mutations would never be
inheritable as they were not in the germ-line cells (egg/sperm).  (I would
love to be able to cross a couple of these "tricolor" animals and see if in
fact it would inherit.)  I think that if this were the result of a gene that
allowed the expression of different colors we would see the different colors
in several places on the animal (as opposed to a single patch).

 

I believe you're right about the definition of "lilac."  I guess that right
now lilac means anything that isn't black, and that definition is starting
to bother me.  There is a microscope "signature" to "true lilac" (true in my
opinion) that makes that the easiest color for me to define-If I have a wool
sample and a microscope, that is.  Black vs. brown, grey, etc., are harder
for me to delineate clearly.  When I get a chance I intend to do a
microscopic examination of the wool from the off-color patch on Crescens and
see if carries that lilac signature.

 

-Dan

 

From: jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com
[mailto:jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com] On Behalf Of Linda
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 7:17 PM
To: Dan Carpenter
Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] (no subject)

 

Well, Dan, you've done more thinking about lilac genetics than anyone else I
know - what do you think :-)

There is a gene in rabbits (japanese gene) that allows different colors to
express. It's the gene for tricolor and harlequin rabbits (and I guess it's
the same for calico cats and brindle dogs?). In rabbits (don't know about
dogs and cats) it shows up only on agouti animals, which probably wouldn't
apply to your sheep. Is there a gene that would allow dilute/non dilute to
express on the same animal? 

I'm not sure we have a firm definition of what is lilac or even what is
black. I've had a few sheep with brown wool - black facial and leg markings.
As far as I could determine they were not lilac carriers and I considered
them poor blacks, not lilacs. There was no color banding that might indicate
a mineral deficiency, but perhaps that was a factor.

I hope you'll follow through and let us know what you decide.

Linda.   

On 4/6/2010 10:48 AM, Dan Carpenter wrote: 

I sheared yesterday and found a clearly grey patch on an otherwise dark
black 2-year old ram.  I noticed a different color on him last year when I
sheared, but just figured it was a stain or faded spot.  (Some of you saw
this ram at AGM last year and noticed the spot.)  This ram is a proven lilac
carrier, but I don't know if the grey is from lilac or something else.
(Though I suppose that anything that isn't black is lilac.)

 

See pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11795463
<http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11795463&l=35be1b9e9a&id=710530252>
&l=35be1b9e9a&id=710530252 & http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11795965
<http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11795965&l=a06f251237&id=710530252>
&l=a06f251237&id=710530252.

 

 

-Dan

 

 

 

 

 
 
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