|
Term
|
Definition
|
| Agouti |
Is the descriptive term applied to the background
(or non-tabby) hairs that are banded with several bands of color that give
an overall appearance of a lighter color. (Gray or tan in the wild
type.) |
| Albino |
An organism born without pigment in the eyes, skin,
or hair. These individuals often appear to have pink or whitish blue
eyes (not because of color but because of the lack of pigment allowing
the pink from the blood vessels of the retina and just under the skin to
show through. |
| Allele |
Used interchangeably with "gene". |
| Blended Character |
See Incomplete Dominance. |
| Characteristic |
Term for the trait i.e.: eye color, etc. |
| Checkerboard Diagram |
A chart used to graph the percentages of expected
offspring of any given cross. |
| Chromosome |
The "thread" of genetic material carrying the genes.
Always found in pairs and always the same number in a given species.
One from each pair is given to the eggs and sperm so that each offspring
receives one strand for each parent to make up it's own pairs so that the
number always stays the same. |
| Dilute |
A gene in the feline that spreads out the Eumelanin
or Phaeomelanin pigments causing the color to appear lighter so that black
now appears blue, red appears cream, etc. |
| Diploid |
Full number of Chromosomes. This is the number
of chromosomes found in every cell in the body except for the eggs or sperm
cells. |
| DNA |
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
(The genetic blueprint of all life. commonly call a gene.) |
| Dominance |
A trait capable of carrying another trait. (Ex:
spotted tabby carries marble.) [Note, this term only applies to traits
at the same locus.) |
| Dominant White |
A trait that masks all colors and patterns so the
cat appears white no matter what other genetic colors are there.
Also sometimes called "Supper Dominant" |
| Embryo |
The developing offspring during the earliest part
of its development. (Generally the embryo is called a fetus once
the bones have calcified.) |
| Eumelanin |
(Black based melanin) These are pigment granules
thought to be round to oval in shape and absorb nearly all light. |
| Felial |
Refers to a generation. (F1 is the first felial
generation of a cross of unrelated individuals. |
| Gene |
The protein molecule that carries the genetic code
for each trait and biological function and process down to the cell level. |
| Haploid |
Half of the number of chromosomes (singles no pairs).
This is the number found in the germs cells (sex cells) or egg or sperm
cells. |
| Heterozygous |
A trait that has one dominant gene and is carrying
one recessive gene. |
| Heredity |
The passing of traits from one generation to another
through DNA. |
| Homozygous |
Both genes for a particular trait are the same i.e.:
AA or aa |
| Incomplete Dominance |
A situation where neither gene dominates the other
and both exercise an influence on the individual. Also called co-dominance,
& blended character. |
| Inhibitor gene |
This gene is dominant and is an example of a dominant
mutation. The inhibitor gene stops the action of the agouti banding
on the hairs of the background so that they are all white (no pigment is
allowed into the hair shaft at the point when it would normally flow into
the hair of the developing embryo). This gives these hairs a "silver"
appearance. To have a "normal" color cat 2 non-inhibitor genes (ii)
are required. |
| Locus |
(plural loci) This is the location of a particular
gene on a specific chromosome. |
| Meiosis |
"Normal' cell division where the cells create and
exact duplicate of themselves. |
| Melanin |
Black pigmentation of the skin, hair, &/or eyes. |
| Melanistic |
A recessive condition which is the lack of expression
of the agouti gene causing the background fur to be solid black.
(Actually a black pattern on a black background.) In cats with a different
color gene (i.e.: red) the effect is solid red, etc. It is not the
inheritance of color but of solid due to the non-agouti genes. |
| Mitosis |
Cell division where the chromosome number is only
half of the number found in the "normal" cells of the individual creating
egg or sperm cells. |
| Mutation |
A change in the action of a gene. |
| Phaeomelanin |
This is the red pigmentation of the skin, hair, &/or
eyes. |
| Pigmentation |
The amount of melanin (Color containing cells)
in the skin, hair, & eyes. |
| Recessive |
A trait that is carried by an individual but is not
expressed and is completely unseen. |
| Synthesizing |
The formation of the cells creating the color in the
hair shaft. |
| Tarnishing |
This term is used by silver breeders to describe the
areas where the inhibitor action failed and allowed some synthesis of the
brown color to come through. Usually on the nose, face, and down
along the back. |
| Ticking |
This term is sometimes confused with agouti but is
usually applied to the areas of pattern hairs that are ideally solid but
show some "ticking" within the patterned area of the coat. Some hairs having
a lighter color at the tip of some of the yellow agouti ticking in the
areas that should be solid. |
| Zygote |
A fertilized cell that will become the embryo. |