Coat Colour Silver Dilution (MCOA)
Code: P784
Short description
Silver coat colour, known as Silver Dapple, is a “dilution” or lightening of the black pigment in the horse's hair, resulting in a silvery-grey or even white coat colour.
General information
Silver coat colour, known as Silver Dapple, is a “dilution” or lightening of the black pigment in the horse’s hair, resulting in a silvery-grey or even white coat colour. It is a dominant trait, caused by a mutation to the PMEL gene, and it is found in multiple breeds. It should not be confused with G-Locus Grey, which causes gradual but permanent lightening of the horse’s coat.
Horses carrying the Silver mutation are also noted to be at risk for Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA, also known as Anterior Segment Dysgenesis and as Congenital Aniridia). MCOA can cause a range of eye defects.
Specifications
| Breeds | Ardennes, Comtois, Icelandic Horse, Missouri Fox Trotter, Rocky Mountain Horse, American Miniature Horse, Falabella, Miniature Horse, Morgan, Shetland Pony |
|---|---|
| Gene | PMEL |
| Chromosome | 6 |
| Organ | Integumentary System |
| Specimen | Hair, Blood EDTA, Blood Heparin, Semen, Tissue |
| Mode of Inheritance | Autosomal Dominant |
| Also known as | Z; PMEL17; SILV |
Clinical features
The silver coat colour caused by this variant is most visible in the longer hairs of the mane and tail.
MCOA can manifest as a wide range of eye defects such as uveal cysts, cornea globosa, iris stromal hypoplasia, abnormal pectinate ligaments, cataract and iris hypoplasia.
Additional information
Coat colour is an intricate trait that involves a combination of multiple different genes. Testing for a range of different loci will give the most complete prediction of a horse's coat colour genetics.
References
Pubmed ID: 17029645
Year published: 2006
Omia ID: 1438
Omia variant ID:
Turnaround information
- 15 working days