Dog

The Merle gene creates patches of colour in the coat and blue or odd-coloured eyes. Merle dogs may have hearing and eye problems. Dogs homozygous for Merle, also known as double Merle, are predominantly white and prone to several health problems. Merle can be tested in any breed, but is most often found in the breeds listed below.

The mutation responsible for the cocoa colour in the French bulldog has been identified in the Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome 3 (HPS3) gene. Dogs homozygous for this mutation are a shade darker brown than dogs mutated for brown (Locus B).  In humans and mice, mutations in the HPS3 gene are associated with symptoms such as visual impairment, abnormal eye pigmentation and bleeding. These effects of the mutation have not been reported in dogs homozygous for the cocoa variant. ogs with two copies of the cocoa variant can be cocoa, however the final colour of the dog also depends on other genes controlling coat colour.  

The curly coat is caused by a mutation in the Keratin-71 (KRT71) gene. The test can be performed for any breed but is particularly relevant for the following breeds: Airedale Terrier, Bichon Frise, Havanese, Maltese, Border Collie, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chihuahua, Dachshund, Leonberger, Portuguese Water Dog, Welsh Terrier, Wire Fox Terrier. This test is not valid for the Golden Retriever.

The term furnishings describes the longer moustache and eyebrows seen in wirehaired dogs and other breeds and is due to a variant of the R-spondin-2 (RSPO2) gene. In some breeds such as the Labradoodle, Goldendoodle and Portuguese Water Dog, the lack of trimming is called improper coat. The test can be performed for any breed, but is particularly relevant for the following breeds: Briard, Havanese, Maltese, Old English Sheepdog, Bouvier Des Flandres, German Pointer, Poodle, Chinese Crested Dog, Portuguese Water Dog, Goldendoodle, Brussels Griffon, Labradoodle, Shih Tzu, Dachshund,Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Black Russian Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier.

Long hair is caused by mutations in the fibroblast growth factor-5 (FGF5) gene. To date, five mutations have been identified. The longhair test identifies the p.Cys95Phe mutation, which is the most common across breeds. The shorthair allele (L) is dominant over the longhair allele (l), so two copies of the longhair allele are required to produce longhaired dogs. The specific test for the Akita breed is available: see Longhair test - Akita (DOG-LHA)

Le poil long est causé par des mutations du gène du facteur de croissance des fibroblastes-5 (FGF5). Jusqu'à présent, cinq mutations ont été identifiées. Le test du poils long chez l'akita identifie la mutation c.578C>T qui est présente chez les races Akita, Eurasier, Samoyed et Siberian Husky. L'allèle du poil court (L) est dominant sur le poil long (l), donc deux copies de l'allèle du poil long sont nécessaires pour avoir des chiens à poil long.