Rabbit Genetics Primer : Part 2

This is a very basic color Primer for rabbits

Basic rabbit Colors are created from the following

Genes have locus's, which can have alleles as modifiers . The two pigments that combine to make colors in rabbits are Black/Brown (eumelanin) & Yellow (red - pheomelanin)

The Agouti Loci

Agouti locus's - expresses the "wild color" which is the banding of the individual hairs. Banding is dominate , and is expressed by " A" allele. "Self " colored, which has no banding is the recessive allele "a" . If the animal has two recessive alleles it will have a solid colored hair shaft . ther is a third loci on this gene. at: the tan marker. Tan creates a soild pattern onb the top of the rabbit with white or tan belly , inner ears , and eye rings. similar to harliquen, it is exspressing the soild color of the eumelanin on top , and the Soild color of the pheomelanin on the bottom.

Agouti

Waldorf is a wild colored Chestnut He has Dominate alleles across his phenotype. Agouti
A- B- C-D-E-

Tan

at- Produces Tan's, Otters , and Martains
.

Tan
at- B-C-D-E-

Self

Chocolate body color has no banding on the hairs and he is a self colored rabbit

Chocolate
aa bb C-D-E-

The Black/Brown Loci

Black is the Dominate color in Rabbits , Chocolate is the recessive.

The B loci expresses the quality of eumelanin. Eumelanin can be exspressed as either Black or Brown, and their are many colors that are created depending on which of these is the base color. Their are also genes that mask or remove the ability for a hair folical to produce eumelanin, in these cases either no pigment(white) or onl pheomelanin(Yellow/Red) are exspressed.

Black - B

T-Payne is a Black Self .
His Hairs are solid black
from Base to tip.

Black aa B- C-D-E-

Chocolate - b

Moe Lay is molting in this picture. the lighter colored hairs are dead hairs in process of shedding, his Chocolate body color has no banding on the hairs and he is a self colored rabbit

Chocolate
aa bb C-D-E-

The Color Concentration Loci

The Color Concentration Loci has four Alleles.

"C" Full color is Dominate,

"cchd" or "chd" which is Dark Chinchilla, this strips most of the pheomelanin (red/yellow) and it turns grey/white while leaving the eumelanin (black/chocolate) alone.

"cchl"or " chl" Light Chinchilla , strips the pheomelanin (red/yellow) and some of the eumelanin (black/chocolate) giving it a shaded appearance. It can also give the eumelanin a lightning effect turning it a sepia color.

"ch" Himalayan (or Californian) allele , is a temperature sensitive allele that leaves colors at only pointed tips . The parts of the rabbit espoused to the coldest temperatures have the richest darkest colors and the color intensity can change seasonally.

"c" is the most recessive . Two copies of "c" on this allele produce Red Eye Whites. Although "c" this is the most recessive gene, in some ways has the most dominate effect. When "cc" is expressed it prevents both pheomelanin and eumelanin from being exspressed, and this then masks all other Loci hiding the rabbits actual coat colors completely.

"C	cchd	cchl	ch	cc
Waldorf Chestnut Full Color	Quick Silver Chinchilla	Light Chinchilla/Sable Shaded has not shown up in my lines	California/ Hymilayan has not shown up in my lines	Jasmine Red Eyed White

Chestnut	Chinchilla	Siamese Sable	Himalayan	Red Eye White
A-B-CD-E-	A-B-cchd D- E-	AA BB chl DD E	A-B-cch D- E-	---cc--


Black Self	Sallander	Seal
aa B-C-D-E-	aa-B-chd- D- ee	AA B-chlchlD-E-

Black Self	Sallander	self Sable
aa B-C-D-E-	aa-B-chd- D- ee	aa B-chl-D-E-

Black Self	Sallander	Self Black Seal
aa B-C-D-E-	aa-B-chd- D- ee	aa B-chlchlD-E-

The Dilution/Density Loci

This loci has two Allele D- & dd . The D Loci, effects the Eumelanin of a rabbit on the B locus. A rabbit that has double recessive genes for dilution "dd", will make a Black Rabbit Blue, and a Chocolate Rabbit a Tan/Fawn color called " lilac" in rabbits.

D is dominate for no dilution or full Density of color,

d is recessive and Diluties the color .



Black	Blue
aa-B-C-D-E-	aa-B-C-dd E-

Chocolate	Lilac
aa bb C- D- E-	aa- bb C- dd E-

The Extension Loci

This Alle modifies the bands on an Argouti Rabbit .

Ed dominate black. This is the most Dominate Gene on the E loci, it is more Dominate then Es.

This gene exspresses Full soild color at the B loci Eumelinin . It completly extendes the black bands on the Argouti hair shaft with wha ever color is present in B. Some Genetisists have theorized that a Double Steel coat can also present as Dominate black, but since the Ed marker has been reported as far back as the 1800's I am incuding it. I also wonder if my Broken black Buck may actually carry this gene along with E.

Es Steel , A Steel Coat the hait shaft is mostly black with a gold or White/silver Tip, tip color is depended on where the Rabbit can produce pheomelanin or not. A Gold Tipped Steel is a nomal presenting pheomelanin, a Silver tipped Steele is most likly a Chinchilla Rabbit at C. Double Steel will extend the pigment of the shafts on some rabbits to make a Agouti look like a self black.

E is the thrids most dominate gene , It exspresses Regular Extenstion, or normal expression of the colors at the A and B loci

ej Harlequin characterized by alternating patches of banding. These rabbits look Bringdled or patched, in te harliquen Breed, the Color is perfered to have a Perfectly Split face between the pheomelanin and eumelinin sides, with the opposite ear colored, and again the oposite front legs, Ideally the rabbit will have a clean checker board like pattern . Very Clean Harliquens with havea densly colored coat with clean patches but in co-domiante rabbits brindling and mudding of the patches is common. ej exspresses itseld in 2 base colors.

Magpie, which is a Chinchilla based coat meaning the coat is stripped of the pheomelanin and presents as White, with Black or Chocolate based patches.

Japanese , Which exspresses the full color pheomelanin Red/Yellow, along with the Black or Brown based patches, both colors idealy wuill have the same patterning.

e Tort/ non-extension the oposite of the Steels with the light part of the Agouti hairs extended to the base. Non-extention strips out the eumelinin from the argouti coat and presents as a yellow/red soild colored rabbit, but it is common for these rabbits to still show the creamy/white underbelly that distinguises the Argouti.

A Tort is a Self colored rabbit at A, " aa" and it exspressed as a Reddish soild coat since the pheomelanin masks the Color at A, but they tend to exspress the eumelinin with darker points. silimar to the Hymilation points, their Nose, Ears, Feet and Tail will be shaded darker.

Ed -Dominate Black	Es -steel	E-normal extension	ej - harliquen	e- Tort or non-extension


Dominate Black	Gold Tipped Steel	Chestnut	Harlequin	Red
A-B-C-D-Ed-	A-B-C-D-Es-	A-B-C-D-E-	A-B-C-D-ej-	A-B-C-D-ee

The Broken Loci

ENEN - Charlie	ENen - Broken	enen - Self spot /full color/ no spotting


Broken Black Charlie <20% color	Broken Black >20% color	Chestnut 100% color
aa-B-C-D-E- ENEN	aa-B-C-D-E- ENen	A-B-C-D-E- enen