Question

In cats, there is a gene which produces ticked fur (bands of different colors on each hair) called Agouti (H). The recessive allele (h) for this gene produces hair which is a solid color from end to end. In addition, there is a coat color gene which has a recessive albino allele (a) which, in the homozygote, prevents the production of any coat color pigment, resulting in a white cat with pink eyes, the traditional albino.

Answer 1

The interaction between the Agouti gene and the pigment gene in cats determines the coat color and pigmentation. The Agouti gene controls the ticked fur pattern, while the pigment gene regulates pigmentation. The recessive alleles for both genes result in solid-colored fur or albino phenotype, respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

In cats, the coat color is determined by multiple genes. One of these genes is the Agouti gene, which produces ticked fur with bands of different colors on each hair. The dominant allele (H) produces ticked fur while the recessive allele (h) produces solid-colored fur. Another gene is responsible for pigment production, and the recessive allele (a) of this gene results in an albino phenotype with white fur and pink eyes.

When a cat has the genotype Hh and the genotype Aa (heterozygotes for both genes), the resulting cat will have ticked fur with multiple colors and normal pigmentation. However, if the cat is homozygous recessive (hh) for the Agouti gene, it will have solid-colored fur, regardless of the allele present at the pigment gene locus. Similarly, if the cat is homozygous recessive (aa) for the pigment gene locus, it will be albino, regardless of the allele present at the Agouti gene locus.

Therefore, the interaction between the Agouti gene and the pigment gene is an example of epistasis, where one gene modifies or masks the effects of another gene.