The
spectacular white coats of white tigers are caused by a single change in a
known pigment gene, a new study has found.
The
research, to be published in the June issue of Current Biology, might help end
decades of speculation that the trait is a genetic defect.
Researchers
from China's Peking University mapped the genomes of a family of 16 tigers
living in Chimelong Safari Park in southern China, including both white and
orange individuals. They then sequenced the whole genomes of each of the three
parents in the family.
In
the end, the researchers found the white tiger carries a variant of a pigment
gene called SLC45A2, which had already been associated with light coloration in
modern Europeans and in other animals, including horses, chickens, and fish.
The
variant of the gene primarily inhibits the synthesis of red and yellow pigments
but has little to no effect on black, which explains why white tigers still
show characteristic dark stripes, the researchers said.
"The
genetic study solved the mystery about what makes those tigers white," Luo
Shujin, author of the study said in an email interview with Xinhua. "It
shows the white tiger morph is a naturally occurring feature and should be
considered a part of the genetic diversity of tigers that is worth
conserving."
White
tigers were first discovered in the Indian jungle as a variant of Bengal tigers
but have now disappeared from the wild, Luo said.
Luo
said that many white tigers in captivity are inbred in order to maintain the
white coat trait and consequently suffer some health problems such as crossed
eyes, leading to the controversial speculation that the white tiger mutation is
perhaps a genetic defect.
Source: Digital Journal
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