Posted by:
RandyRemington
at Sat Feb 4 08:04:26 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by RandyRemington ]
It would sure be interesting to know how the genetics worked for that hooded rat experiment. Where there slight variations of the actual hooded gene over time selected in each line or just a concentration of other genes that promoted less or more pattern. I suppose one indication would be what then happened if he crossed the normal hooded offspring of the two lines to each other - do they produce 1/4 reduced hoods and 1/4 expanded hoods indicating that perhaps a single gene controls the expression of how much hood is seen? Probably too simple to work out that clean.
Good point about the large number of genes involved in the normal color/pattern. Variations in genes not at the pastel locus no doubt affect the appearance of pastels. Even limiting the discussion to just the "normal" for pastel version of the gene at the pastel locus there may be several different non pastel versions of that gene. Selective breeding of pastel lines may have selected for some of the most complementary versions of the non-pastel alleles (if there are multiples) at the pastel locus in addition to genes at other loci.
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RE: more in general if not specifically in this case - RandyRemington, Sat Feb 4 08:04:26 2006