Dominant Spotting, Patch, and Rump-White

Abstract

There are probably no coat color determinants which have received more attention than the alleles at the W-locus (chromosome 5). Most of this attention, however, has been devoted to the influence which two alleles at this locus, W and W^ν, have on hematopoiesis for, like the steel (Sl)series of alleles (see Chapter 11, Section I), the W-series too affect erythropoiesis and gametogenesis. While it is beyond the scope of this chapter to review in detail all the investigations which have been carried out on the nonpigmentary manifestations of these genes, they must nevertheless be given some consideration as they could be related to the influence the locus has on coat color. Consequently, after considering W and W^ν’s influence on pigment formation, a more general account of their other consequences will be reviewed before the effects of the other alleles at the locus are described.