TY - JOUR
T1 - Regulatory mutations in TBX3 disrupt asymmetric hair pigmentation that underlies Dun camouflage color in horses
AU - Imsland, Freyja
AU - McGowan, Kelly
AU - Rubin, Carl-Johan
AU - Henegar, Corneliu
AU - Sundström, Elisabeth
AU - Berglund, Jonas
AU - Schwochow, Doreen
AU - Gustafson, Ulla
AU - Imsland, Páll
AU - Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin
AU - Lindgren, Gabriella
AU - Mikko, Sofia
AU - Millon, Lee
AU - Wade, Claire
AU - Schubert, Mikkel
AU - Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre
AU - Penedo, Maria Cecilia T.
AU - Barsh, Gregory S.
AU - Andersson, Leif
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - Dun is a wild-type coat color in horses characterized by pigment dilution with a striking pattern of dark areas termed primitive markings. Here we show that pigment dilution in Dun horses is due to radially asymmetric deposition of pigment in the growing hair caused by localized expression of the T-box 3 (TBX3) transcription factor in hair follicles, which in turn determines the distribution of hair follicle melanocytes. Most domestic horses are non-dun, a more intensely pigmented phenotype caused by regulatory mutations impairing TBX3 expression in the hair follicle, resulting in a more circumferential distribution of melanocytes and pigment granules in individual hairs. We identified two different alleles (non-dun1 and non-dun2) causing non-dun color. non-dun2 is a recently derived allele, whereas the Dun and non-dun1 alleles are found in ancient horse DNA, demonstrating that this polymorphism predates horse domestication. These findings uncover a new developmental role for T-box genes and new aspects of hair follicle biology and pigmentation.
AB - Dun is a wild-type coat color in horses characterized by pigment dilution with a striking pattern of dark areas termed primitive markings. Here we show that pigment dilution in Dun horses is due to radially asymmetric deposition of pigment in the growing hair caused by localized expression of the T-box 3 (TBX3) transcription factor in hair follicles, which in turn determines the distribution of hair follicle melanocytes. Most domestic horses are non-dun, a more intensely pigmented phenotype caused by regulatory mutations impairing TBX3 expression in the hair follicle, resulting in a more circumferential distribution of melanocytes and pigment granules in individual hairs. We identified two different alleles (non-dun1 and non-dun2) causing non-dun color. non-dun2 is a recently derived allele, whereas the Dun and non-dun1 alleles are found in ancient horse DNA, demonstrating that this polymorphism predates horse domestication. These findings uncover a new developmental role for T-box genes and new aspects of hair follicle biology and pigmentation.
U2 - 10.1038/ng.3475
DO - 10.1038/ng.3475
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 26691985
SN - 1061-4036
VL - 48
SP - 152
EP - 158
JO - Nature: New biology
JF - Nature: New biology
IS - 2
ER -