Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (8): 3297-3308.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2024.08.004

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A Review of the Genetic Characteristics of Different Coat Colors in Domestic Horses

Tana AN(), Haige HAN*(), Togtokh MONGKE, Baoyindeligeer MONGKEJARGAL, Wenbo LI, Manglai DUGARJAVIIN*()   

  1. Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
  • Received:2024-01-23 Online:2024-08-23 Published:2024-08-28
  • Contact: Haige HAN, Manglai DUGARJAVIIN E-mail:1665634650@qq.com;hanhaige@126.com;dmanglai@163.com

Abstract:

The coat color of the domestic horse is the main element and basis for identifying horses and registering breeds. Ancient DNA studies have shown that the first coat color appeared in the domestic horse was bay, followed by black and chestnut, which are collectively known as the three base coat colors. Like other mammals, pigment cells in the domestic horse produce different coat colors through different combinations of eumelanin and phaeomelanin. In this paper, we systematically summarize the 13 different coat color classifications, and review the progress of candidate genes related to the formation of different coat colors in the domestic horse over the past 30 years, so as to provide theoretical references and bases for the in-depth understanding of the genetic mechanism of the formation of different coat colors in the domestic horse, the reduction of the occurrence of the related genetic diseases, as well as the subsequent horse registration and breeding.

Key words: domestic horse, coat color diversity, candidate gene, melanin

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