Preprint Communication Version 2 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Discrepancies between Genetic and Visual Coat Color Assignment in Sarcidano Horse

Maria Consuelo Mura
* ORCID logo ,
Vincenzo Carcangiu
,
Giovanni Cosso
,
Nicolò Columbano
ORCID logo ,
Eraldo Sanna Passino
ORCID logo ,
Sebastiano Luridiana
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 23 November 2023 / Approved: 24 November 2023 / Online: 24 November 2023 (05:43:04 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 6 February 2024 / Approved: 7 February 2024 / Online: 7 February 2024 (08:01:49 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Mura, M.C.; Carcangiu, V.; Cosso, G.; Columbano, N.; Sanna Passino, E.; Luridiana, S. Discrepancies between Genetic and Visual Coat Color Assignment in Sarcidano Horse. Animals 2024, 14, 543. Mura, M.C.; Carcangiu, V.; Cosso, G.; Columbano, N.; Sanna Passino, E.; Luridiana, S. Discrepancies between Genetic and Visual Coat Color Assignment in Sarcidano Horse. Animals 2024, 14, 543.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies between genetic and visual coat color assignment in the Sarcidano Horse and to elucidate potential reasons. Individual DNA from 90 Sarcidano Horses was used for genetic assignment of coat color to explore the correspondence with individual forms containing phenotypical traits. The MC1R exon 1 and ASIP exon 3 have been genotyped and sequenced to obtain a picture of the coat color distribution in this breed. Surprisingly, once we compared the genetic results with the individual forms reporting the phenotypic data for each subject, a certain degree of non-correspondence between the phenotypic and genetic data in relation to coat color emerged. From the genetic analysis, Chestnuts (n = 58) resulted the most common Sarcidano Horse (n = 58), followed by a quite large number of Blacks (n = 28) and a very small number of Bays (n = 4), whereas phenotypic distribution resulted in 38 Chestnuts, 40 Bays, only 2 Blacks, and 10 Grays (without the possibility of recognizing the true color they carried). Chestnut resulted a very representative coat color, while many horses that visually identified as Bays were genetically Blacks. This discrepancy, that could be due to a variety of individual and external factors, including age, time of year, living situation and dietary condition, suggesting the importance of accurate coat color identification to ensure adequate features registration and reliable prediction of offspring’s coat color.

Keywords

 basic coat color definition; offspring’s coat color prediction; phenotypic distribution; Sarcidano Horse pigmentation 

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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