Some genes I am confused about - homozygousity & OLWS
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Re: Some genes I am confused about - homozygousity & OLWS
[quote]I don't mean to hijack this thread, but Horsegen, regarding the O/n vs Oo being due to it being a test for a disease... I've seen het silver listed as Zn. Is that "wrong" then, and proper "terminology" should be Zz? Just curious :) Should the n be capitlized, lower case, or does it matter? Just want to write/type it properly :)[/quote]
Well, recently, when we started getting all these tests for patterns and dilutions that breeders were interested in, I think it was decided that it was simpler (and easier for owners to understand) if we started using the N/"other color" system, because then it becomes very obvious whether the animal has that dilution/modifier or not. It gets confusing for non-color enthusiasts to keep track of what's dominant, what's recessive, what the various genotypes mean--so by using this system for these new genes, someone can simply look at their results and say, "Okay, my horse has champagne." Or, "No, my horse does not have silver." If you see the Z, that's silver, if you see N/N and no Z, that's more clearly a "No." We've recently started using this system for almost everything!
Re: Some genes I am confused about - homozygousity & OLWS
I work for UC Davis. I'm in the research division, so I'm one of the people who tries to find the mutations for these genes so that we can offer the tests to you, the interested horse owner! I'm working towards my Ph.D. in genetics...the research on Cerebellar Abiotrophy is mine. (You can read about that disease on our web page.) I'll be done in 15 months...woo hoo! :toast
Re: Some genes I am confused about - homozygousity & OLWS
Thanks!