After En locus…

[Blueberry]

Hi! I’m in 7th grade and my science teacher was saying stuff about rabbit genetics that were wrong and I told him, at first he said I didn’t know what I was talking about, but then he looked it up and he’s fascinated. He asked me to teach my class about rabbit genetics on Monday, but I’m a little rusty and want to make sure I know as much as possible, these are the loci I have so far:

A, B, C, D, E, EN, R, S, and L.

I know there are more such as Vienna, Wideband, and lutino but I can’t find anything on them, do you know anything about them and more that I don’t already have?

 

[Alaska Satin]

Hi! I’m in 7th grade and my science teacher was saying stuff about rabbit genetics that were wrong and I told him, at first he said I didn’t know what I was talking about, but then he looked it up and he’s fascinated. He asked me to teach my class about rabbit genetics on Monday, but I’m a little rusty and want to make sure I know as much as possible, these are the loci I have so far:

A, B, C, D, E, EN, R, S, and L.

I know there are more such as Vienna, Wideband, and lutino but I can’t find anything on them, do you know anything about them and more that I don’t already have?

Nice job at taking this in hand!!! I picked up my own interest in rabbit genetics right about the same time as you, in 7th grade, but that was a different millennium...

The Vienna gene <v> is a fairly unpredictable, sometimes partially dominant gene. Two copies make a pure white rabbit with blue eyes, but a single copy can leave the rabbit normally colored (called a Vienna carrier or VC), or it can produce marbled eye or eyes, blue eye or eyes, and/or white marks ranging from a tiny snip on the nose or a few white hairs on the forehead, to very extensive white markings reminiscent of dutch (all of which are known as Vienna marked or VM).
As far as I know, the only gene that will override two copies of <vv> is two copies of REW <cc>.
Some good reading on <v> is here:
http://wintertimebunnies.blogspot.com/2016/01/cheat-sheet-understanding-vienna-gene.htmland some great photos are here:
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Vienna-marked_rabbits
Dutch <du> (normal color <Du>)
The dutch gene <du> is also partially dominant, with two copies making the classic Dutch (image from the ARBA webpage):

while one copy results in partial dutch markings:

Although it can produce markings similar to a single copy of the vienna gene, Dutch <du> is on a totally different locus.

Silver <si> (normal color <Si>)
The gene for silvering <si> is also partially dominant. It causes a successive degeneration of hair follicles that results in less and less pigmentation being produced as the rabbit ages, so the fur is a combination of white hairs, white-tipped hairs, and colored hairs. Silvered rabbits are born solid black (or solid orange, chocolate, blue or chestnut, depending on the breed) and begin "silvering" at 4 -10 weeks of age. They go through some pretty wild patterns as they develop:

Once they have their prime coat they look quite silvery, and the changes slow down a bit, but the older the rabbit gets, the lighter it gets.
There are a number of silvered breeds in the U.S. (Champagne D'Argent, Creme D'Argent, Argent Brun, Silver Fox and one of the oldest breeds called simply the Silver), and the gene actually comes in at least three alleles. The allele I've dealt with is si3, which is the one that produces Champagne D'Argents. It is quite strong; two copies make this purebred Champagne D'Argent:

and a single copy makes a rabbit that looks like this Satin x Champagne cross:


Wideband <w> (normal pattern <W>)
Wideband does what it says - it widens the middle band of an agouti, reducing the appearance of dark pigment at the tips. It is important, for example, in reds (New Zealand Reds, Thriantas, etc.): not only does it work with the non-extension <ee> to reduce the appearance of the black tipping of an agouti, but the wide band gene also allows the red (yellow) pigment to appear in places where the agouti gene normally suppresses it, like the belly and the undertail.

Lutino <p> (normal color <P>)
Lutino or the p-mutation suppresses all black pigment in both fur and eyes, leaving the yellow pigment basically unchanged. It's not a newly-discovered mutation, but breeders in the US only recently began being interested in it.
Here's a short resource with good photos:
https://berlena.weebly.com/what-is-lutino.html
White ear <we> (normal color <We>)
This is a gene that came into the US around 2000. It is another partially dominant gene; one copy causes the classic 'white ear' markings (white ears, blaze and feet), while two copies produce a mostly white rabbit with a few spots, mostly on its sides and behind its eyes. In some ways it's similar to broken <En> but it does not seem to be connected to megacolon the way <En> is.

A really great resource for beginners (and everyone else!) is ABC - About Bunny Colors by Ellyn Eddy.
https://www.allthingsbunnies.com/ABC-About-Bunny-Colors-p/bks107.htm

It includes all the loci you listed, as well as discussions about the following loci:
Vienna <v>,
Dutch <du>,
silvering <si>
wideband <w>
It is slightly dated now, copyright 2009, so it does not include the fairly recently discovered white ear <we> gene.
It does include a brief discussion of the fur genes satin <s>, rex <r>, wool <l>, maned <m> and furless <f>, as well as the dwarf gene <dw>.

Good luck with your class!!!

 

[Blueberry]

Nice job at taking this in hand!!! I picked up my own interest in rabbit genetics right about the same time as you, in 7th grade, but that was a different millennium...

The Vienna gene <v> is a fairly unpredictable, sometimes partially dominant gene. Two copies make a pure white rabbit with blue eyes, but a single copy can leave the rabbit normally colored (called a Vienna carrier or VC), or it can produce marbled eye or eyes, blue eye or eyes, and/or white marks ranging from a tiny snip on the nose or a few white hairs on the forehead, to very extensive white markings reminiscent of dutch (all of which are known as Vienna marked or VM).
As far as I know, the only gene that will override two copies of <vv> is two copies of REW <cc>.
Some good reading on <v> is here:
http://wintertimebunnies.blogspot.com/2016/01/cheat-sheet-understanding-vienna-gene.htmland some great photos are here:
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Vienna-marked_rabbits
Dutch <du> (normal color <Du>)
The dutch gene <du> is also partially dominant, with two copies making the classic Dutch (image from the ARBA webpage):
View attachment 37686
while one copy results in partial dutch markings:
View attachment 37688
Although it can produce markings similar to a single copy of the vienna gene, Dutch <du> is on a totally different locus.

Silver <si> (normal color <Si>)
The gene for silvering <si> is also partially dominant. It causes a successive degeneration of hair follicles that results in less and less pigmentation being produced as the rabbit ages, so the fur is a combination of white hairs, white-tipped hairs, and colored hairs. Silvered rabbits are born solid black (or solid orange, chocolate, blue or chestnut, depending on the breed) and begin "silvering" at 4 -10 weeks of age. They go through some pretty wild patterns as they develop:
View attachment 37690
Once they have their prime coat they look quite silvery, and the changes slow down a bit, but the older the rabbit gets, the lighter it gets.
There are a number of silvered breeds in the U.S. (Champagne D'Argent, Creme D'Argent, Argent Brun, Silver Fox and one of the oldest breeds called simply the Silver), and the gene actually comes in at least three alleles. The allele I've dealt with is si3, which is the one that produces Champagne D'Argents. It is quite strong; two copies make this purebred Champagne D'Argent:
View attachment 37685
and a single copy makes a rabbit that looks like this Satin x Champagne cross:
View attachment 37684

Wideband <w> (normal pattern <W>)
Wideband does what it says - it widens the middle band of an agouti, reducing the appearance of dark pigment at the tips. It is important, for example, in reds (New Zealand Reds, Thriantas, etc.): not only does it work with the non-extension <ee> to reduce the appearance of the black tipping of an agouti, but the wide band gene also allows the red (yellow) pigment to appear in places where the agouti gene normally suppresses it, like the belly and the undertail.

Lutino <p> (normal color <P>)
Lutino or the p-mutation suppresses all black pigment in both fur and eyes, leaving the yellow pigment basically unchanged. It's not a newly-discovered mutation, but breeders in the US only recently began being interested in it.
Here's a short resource with good photos:
https://berlena.weebly.com/what-is-lutino.html
White ear <we> (normal color <We>)
This is a gene that came into the US around 2000. It is another partially dominant gene; one copy causes the classic 'white ear' markings (white ears, blaze and feet), while two copies produce a mostly white rabbit with a few spots, mostly on its sides and behind its eyes. In some ways it's similar to broken <En> but it does not seem to be connected to megacolon the way <En> is.

A really great resource for beginners (and everyone else!) is ABC - About Bunny Colors by Ellyn Eddy.
https://www.allthingsbunnies.com/ABC-About-Bunny-Colors-p/bks107.htmView attachment 37689

It includes all the loci you listed, as well as discussions about the following loci:
Vienna <v>,
Dutch <du>,
silvering <si>
wideband <w>
It is slightly dated now, copyright 2009, so it does not include the fairly recently discovered white ear <we> gene.
It does include a brief discussion of the fur genes satin <s>, rex <r>, wool <l>, maned <m> and furless <f>, as well as the dwarf gene <dw>.

Good luck with your class!!!

Thank you! I thought <we> was really interesting! So as far as I understand it looks similar to dutch with white ears, and when it’s homozygous it looks like a broken. So is it more like Enen or EnEn when homo? Thank you! I found a pic which helped a lot, but I haven’t found one of a homo.

 

[KevinD]

Nice job at taking this in hand!!! I picked up my own interest in rabbit genetics right about the same time as you, in 7th grade, but that was a different millennium...

The Vienna gene <v> is a fairly unpredictable, sometimes partially dominant gene. Two copies make a pure white rabbit with blue eyes, but a single copy can leave the rabbit normally colored (called a Vienna carrier or VC), or it can produce marbled eye or eyes, blue eye or eyes, and/or white marks ranging from a tiny snip on the nose or a few white hairs on the forehead, to very extensive white markings reminiscent of dutch (all of which are known as Vienna marked or VM).
As far as I know, the only gene that will override two copies of <vv> is two copies of REW <cc>.
Some good reading on <v> is here:
http://wintertimebunnies.blogspot.com/2016/01/cheat-sheet-understanding-vienna-gene.htmland some great photos are here:
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Vienna-marked_rabbits
Dutch <du> (normal color <Du>)
The dutch gene <du> is also partially dominant, with two copies making the classic Dutch (image from the ARBA webpage):
View attachment 37686
while one copy results in partial dutch markings:
View attachment 37688
Although it can produce markings similar to a single copy of the vienna gene, Dutch <du> is on a totally different locus.

Silver <si> (normal color <Si>)
The gene for silvering <si> is also partially dominant. It causes a successive degeneration of hair follicles that results in less and less pigmentation being produced as the rabbit ages, so the fur is a combination of white hairs, white-tipped hairs, and colored hairs. Silvered rabbits are born solid black (or solid orange, chocolate, blue or chestnut, depending on the breed) and begin "silvering" at 4 -10 weeks of age. They go through some pretty wild patterns as they develop:
View attachment 37690
Once they have their prime coat they look quite silvery, and the changes slow down a bit, but the older the rabbit gets, the lighter it gets.
There are a number of silvered breeds in the U.S. (Champagne D'Argent, Creme D'Argent, Argent Brun, Silver Fox and one of the oldest breeds called simply the Silver), and the gene actually comes in at least three alleles. The allele I've dealt with is si3, which is the one that produces Champagne D'Argents. It is quite strong; two copies make this purebred Champagne D'Argent:
View attachment 37685
and a single copy makes a rabbit that looks like this Satin x Champagne cross:
View attachment 37684

Wideband <w> (normal pattern <W>)
Wideband does what it says - it widens the middle band of an agouti, reducing the appearance of dark pigment at the tips. It is important, for example, in reds (New Zealand Reds, Thriantas, etc.): not only does it work with the non-extension <ee> to reduce the appearance of the black tipping of an agouti, but the wide band gene also allows the red (yellow) pigment to appear in places where the agouti gene normally suppresses it, like the belly and the undertail.

Lutino <p> (normal color <P>)
Lutino or the p-mutation suppresses all black pigment in both fur and eyes, leaving the yellow pigment basically unchanged. It's not a newly-discovered mutation, but breeders in the US only recently began being interested in it.
Here's a short resource with good photos:
https://berlena.weebly.com/what-is-lutino.html
White ear <we> (normal color <We>)
This is a gene that came into the US around 2000. It is another partially dominant gene; one copy causes the classic 'white ear' markings (white ears, blaze and feet), while two copies produce a mostly white rabbit with a few spots, mostly on its sides and behind its eyes. In some ways it's similar to broken <En> but it does not seem to be connected to megacolon the way <En> is.

A really great resource for beginners (and everyone else!) is ABC - About Bunny Colors by Ellyn Eddy.
https://www.allthingsbunnies.com/ABC-About-Bunny-Colors-p/bks107.htmView attachment 37689

It includes all the loci you listed, as well as discussions about the following loci:
Vienna <v>,
Dutch <du>,
silvering <si>
wideband <w>
It is slightly dated now, copyright 2009, so it does not include the fairly recently discovered white ear <we> gene.
It does include a brief discussion of the fur genes satin <s>, rex <r>, wool <l>, maned <m> and furless <f>, as well as the dwarf gene <dw>.

Good luck with your class!!!

It never ceases to amaze me when I see folks take the time to so thoroughly answer a question on here. I mostly lurk, but I love this community.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Thank you! I thought <we> was really interesting! So as far as I understand it looks similar to dutch with white ears, and when it’s homozygous it looks like a broken. So is it more like Enen or EnEn when homo? Thank you! I found a pic which helped a lot, but I haven’t found one of a homo.

Honestly, to me both heterozygous and homozygous <we> usually look like poorly-marked dutch with white ears.

It's a bit hard to learn about the gene unless you know someone breeding them, since there is not a lot of information widely available.

Here are some photos of white ear mini lops (looks like the U.S. Holland Lop, but this is what is called Mini in England).

Homozygous for white ear is also called "extreme white ear." The rabbit in the following image is labelled extreme white ear, but the breeder also raises dutch and vienna, so I suspect there may be contributions from one or both of those genes, especially seeing the blue eyes in the first photo, which as far as I know is not connected with <we>. (Image from S&J Bunnies).

Here's a rabbit with a single copy of <we> from the same page:


And finally an image of a white ear continental giant from the internet, just for another visual ()


There is also a UK breeder's facebook site that has a lot of images here:

I don't think the rabbitry is in operation anymore, and it doesn't seem to have much in the way of genetic info (I can't see the whole thing since I don't use facebook), but the site does have great photos.

 

[Blueberry]

Thanks again! You’ve been SOOO helpful and I really appreciate it!
Edit: I just remembered about the booted marking! Does anyone know anything about that?

 

[Alaska Satin]

Thanks again! You’ve been SOOO helpful and I really appreciate it!
Edit: I just remembered about the booted marking! Does anyone know anything about that?

Happy to help; I'd think about genetics all day if I could get away with it.
I haven't found any academic resources regarding booted pattern, but the going theory is that it is not actually due to a gene itself, but comes about as a result of modifiers affecting the En locus.

 

[Blueberry]

Okay, cool! That’s so interesting

 

[reh]

if you look for images by genecode, look here: Home - Rabbitcolors
Maybe reed the help to find out how to use the site.