Coat color can be used not only in identifying individuals and species, but also in diagnosing certain diseases. The coat color of horse mainly denpends on the distribution and proportion of eumelanin and phaeomelanin, generated by melanocytes, which are regulated by the genes such as MC1R, ASIP, KIT, TYRP, and EDNRB. In addition, STX17, MATP, and PMEL17 also play a role in the formation of coat color of horse. In this review, the action mechanism of candidate genes for coat color and association of DNA sequence polymorphism of these candidate genes with color pattern pheno-types and melanoma were summarized in details, which provides efficient theoretical support for horse breeding and control of the horse diseases.
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