ASIP promoter variants predict sesame coat color in Shiba Inu dogs

Abstract

Different patterns of coat color pigmentation in dogs are produced by a sophisticated interaction of several genes. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the diversity of coat colors and their inheritance is important for professional breeders because it helps to predict the phenotypes of the progeny. Although genetics of the main coat colors in dogs is extensively studied, there are types of coat pigmentation that are not explained yet. Recently a new model connected the variants in ASIP gene promoters with different coat colors in dogs. Here we used this model as a framework to investigate the genetics of the rare sesame coat color in Shiba Inu dogs. We determined the combination of two alleles of ASIP gene that determine sesame coat color. This finding can be used by the breeders to produce the dogs with this rare coat color pattern. We also demonstrate the incomplete dominance between the ASIP alleles involved in sesame coat formation. These results are in good agreement with the new model explaining how different levels of ASIP gene expression affect the regulation of pigment synthesis in melanocytes.