A gene triplet in the mouse

Abstract

SUMMARY: Mice heterozygous for rump-white (Rw) have white hair in lumbo-sacral and caudal regions, although the tail-tip is sometimes pigmented. The homozygote is lethal in utero. No recombination has been found between Rw and the very closely linked spotting genes patch (Ph) and the viable allele of W (W^v). The compounds between these genes are all viable and fertile, although individual homozygotes are either lethal (Ph, Rw) or sterile and anaemic (W^v). It is concluded that they are non-allelic, but form a gene triplet. Close linkage between a cluster of dominant spotting genes and an angora gene in mouse and rabbit provide evidence for homology of part of linkage group II in the rabbit and part of linkage group XVII in the mouse.