Site of Beige and Leaden Pigment Gene Expression Determined by Recombinant Embryonic Skin Grafts and Aggregation Mouse Chimaeras Employing Sash Homozygotes
October 1985
in “
Genetics Research
”
TLDR Beige and leaden pigment genes act within melanocytes, affecting pigment patterns.
The study used aggregation chimaeras and recombinant skin grafts to determine the site of action of the beige and leaden pigment genes. By fusing embryos homozygous for sash with those homozygous for fuzzy, leaden, and beige, researchers found that all melanocytes were derived from the fuzzy leaden beige population. The results showed that the beige and leaden loci were melanocyte-autonomous, meaning their effects were confined to the melanocytes themselves. The chimaeras exhibited a pigment distribution similar to the heterozygous sash phenotype, indicating that the 1:1 gene dosage of sash to wild type influenced the overall pigment pattern, overriding the expected random distribution of melanocyte precursors.