Genetics
Reference: Rabbit Coat Color Genetics: Gene List
There are 10 color gene groups (or loci) in rabbits. They are A, B, C, D, E, En, Du, Si, V, and W. Each locus has dominant and recessive genes. In addition to the loci there are also modifiers, which modify a certain gene. These include the rufus modifiers, color intensifiers, and plus/minus (blanket/spot) modifiers. A rabbit's coat only has two pigments, pheomelanin (yellow) and eumelanin (dark brown). There can also be no pigment, causing an albino or white rabbit.
Color Genes
Within each group, the genes are listed in order of dominance, with the most dominant gene first. In parenthesis after the description is at least one example of a color that displays this gene.
- Note: lower case are recessive and capital letters are dominant
- "A" represents the agouti locus (multiple bands of color on the hair shaft). The genes are:
- A= agouti ("wild color" or chestnut agouti, opal, chinchilla, etc.)
- a(t)= tan pattern (otter, tan, silver marten)
- a= self or non-agouti (black, chocolate)
- "B" represents the brown locus. The genes are:
- B= black (chestnut agouti, black otter, black)
- b= brown (chocolate agouti, chocolate otter, chocolate)
- "C" represents the color locus. The genes are:
- C= full color (black)
- c(ch3)= dark chinchilla, removes yellow pigmentation (chinchilla, silver marten)
- c(ch2)= medium (light) chinchilla, Slight reduction in eumelanin creating a more sepia tone in the fur rather than black.
- c(ch1)= light (pale) chinchilla (sable, sable point, smoke pearl, seal)
- c(h)= Himalayan, body white with extremities ("points") colored in black, blue, chocolate or lilac, pink eyes
- c= albino (ruby-eyed white or REW)
- "D" represents the dilution locus. This gene dilutes black to blue and chocolate to lilac.
- D= dense color (chestnut agouti, black, chocolate)
- d= diluted color (opal, blue or lilac)
- "E" represents the extension locus. It works with the 'A' and 'C' loci, and rufus modifiers. When it is recessive, it removes most black pigment. The genes are:
- E(d)= dominant black
- E(s)= steel (black removed from tips of fur, which then appear golden or silver)
- E= normal
- e(j)= Japanese brindling (harlequin), black and yellow pigment broken into patches over the body. In a broken color pattern this results in Tricolor.
- e= most black pigment removed (agouti becomes red or orange, self becomes tortoise)
- "En" represents the plus/minus (blanket/spot) color locus. It is incompletely dominant and results in three possible color patterns:
- EnEn= "Charlie" or a lightly marked broken with color on ears, on nose and sparsely on body
- Enen= Broken rabbit with roughly even distribution of color and white
- enen= Solid color with no white areas
- "Du" represents the Dutch color pattern, (the front of the face, front part of the body, and rear paws are white, the rest of the rabbit has colored fur). The genes are:
- Du= absence of Dutch pattern
- du(d)= Dutch (dark)
- du(w)= Dutch (white)
- "V" represents the vienna white locus. The genes are:
- V= normal color
- Vv= Vienna carrier, carries blue-eyed white gene. May appear as a solid color, with snips of white on nose and/or front paws, or Dutch marked.
- v= vienna white (blue-eyed white or BEW)
- "Si" represents the silver locus. The genes are:
- Si= normal color
- si= silver color (silver, silver fox)
- "W" represents the middle yellow-white band locus and works with the agouti gene. The genes are:
- W= normal width of yellow band
- w= doubles yellow band width (Otter becomes Tan, intensified red factors in Thrianta and Belgian Hare)
- "P" represents the OCA type II form of albinism, P is because it is an integral P protein mutation. The genes are:
- P= normal color
- p= albinism mutation, removes eumelanin and causes pink eyes. (Will change, for example, a Chestnut Agouti into a Shadow)
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