Q&A

Dove Genetics

 

  • The word cinnamon is used in genetics of mice and some other species for the "dilution" or other type change of black (eumelanin) to a brown pigment not affecting the phaeomelanin (yellow).
  • If you are referring to actually "cloning" the pigeon this cannot be done. In order for any organism to be cloned the DNA must be fresh-containing a good nucleus. When organisms die, unless they are well preserved (freezing)
    the nucleus degrades and there is no way to clone the bird. [Mandin]
  • Not yet feasible. You can start with $20,000,000....Museum specimens don't have entire DNA genomes viable--
    just pieces. So you have to isolate hundreds or even thousands of sequence sections from different sources on the same or different specimens. Then put them together correctly...., then inject "fresh" eggs whose germ has been removed, keeping all of these otherwise sterile.. ...then hatch ...etc. ...[wjm]
  • In Diamond Doves, as best we understand White Rump and White Tail right now, it involves the same gene. The expression of this gene is in the result of either White Rump or White Tail. We are trying to understand why it is expressed as White Rump sometimes and White Tail sometimes. One theory is that the factor shows up sometimes on only one chromosome, still showing a dominance to Wild type but expressing to a lesser degree = WR. If this is the case, mating 2 WRs some of the offspring could still end up with single factors, or single chromosome, showing to the lesser degree or WR, but some offspring could end up getting factors from both parents, both chromosomes having the WT factor or a double factor, expressing stronger than the single factors and getting to whiter rumps and tails and I believe also showing in the Laced effect or Big Spots. I still feel the larger dots are part of double factor WT expression and not an independant gene. I also see some differences in
    the extent of expression of WT or WR among the different varieties of Diamond Doves. It seems easier to get whiter rumps and tails from SilverWTs and Brilliant WTs than say from BlueWTs or Yellow WTs. So the way the other colors are effected in the different mutations may also effect how and to what extent the WT or WR factor is expressed. Anyhow, all I really know is that it is very difficult to get birds that are true to the strict standard of White Tail and even harder to get them to produce like birds on a consistant basis. [Jeff]
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