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The Genetic Basis of White Tigers
Open accessAbstract
The white tiger, an elusive Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) variant with white fur and dark stripes, has fascinated humans for centuries ever since its discovery in the jungles of India. Many white tigers in captivity are inbred in order to maintain this autosomal recessive trait and consequently suffer some health problems, leading to the controversial speculation that the white tiger mutation is perhaps a genetic defect. However, the genetic basis of this phenotype remains unknown. Here, we conducted genome-wide association mapping with restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) in a pedigree of 16 captive tigers segregating at the putative white locus, followed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of the three parents. Validation in 130 unrelated tigers identified the causative mutation to be an amino acid change (A477V) in the transporter protein SLC45A2. Three-dimensional homology modeling suggests that the substitution may partially block the transporter channel cavity and thus affect melanogenesis. We demonstrate the feasibility of combining RAD-seq and WGS to rapidly map exotic variants in nonmodel organisms. Our results identify the basis of the longstanding white tiger mystery as the same gene underlying color variation in human, horse, and chicken and highlight its significance as part of the species' natural polymorphism that is viable in the wild.
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“Though white, this is not albinism but partial leucism, a defect in a pigment cell [28,30].”
From Tiger colour morphs in zoos raise conservation and welfare concerns (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
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“Recessive genes or alleles cause these changes in fur pigmentation [28,29].”
From Tiger colour morphs in zoos raise conservation and welfare concerns (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
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“White tigers are the result of a recessive gene that suppresses the production of pheomelanin, the pigment responsible for orange fur, causing the brown stripes and white coat colouration [28].”
From Tiger colour morphs in zoos raise conservation and welfare concerns (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
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Cites
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“and trafficking of tyrosinase, a key enzyme in the melanogenesis pathway (Xu et al. 2013).”
Evolution of Chromosomal Inversions across an Avian Radiation
Knief, U., Müller, I. A., Stryjewski, K. F., Metzler, D., Sorenson, M. D., & Wolf, J. B. W. (2024) · Molecular Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/molbev/msae092 · Cited by 16
“An ancestral chrZ inversion polymorphism pre-sent in the common ancestor of all species (linked to genes such as SLC45A2 (Gunnarsson et al. 2007; Xu et al. 2013; Domyan et al. 2014; Campagna et al. 2017) and FST (Toews et al. 2016) which contribute to feather melanization; see Fig.”
Rothammer, S., Kunz, E., Seichter, D., Krebs, S., Wassertheurer, M., Fries, R., Brem, G., & Međugorac, I. (2017) · Genetics Selection Evolution · doi:10.1186/s12711-017-0349-7 · Cited by 32
“white tigers [31], cream-colored horses [32], hypopigmented medaka fish [33], mice with the underwhite (uw) phenotype [34, 35], and chicken and Japanese quail with silver or cinnamon plumage color or imperfect albinism [36].”
BackgroundGenome-wide Association Study Identifies Loci for the Polled Phenotype in Yak
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“However, we are convinced that a future study based on more samples with detailed pedigree information will narrow down the candidate region of this trait [37], and this highly confidential region should be the target of focused studies to establish the functional significance of this key trait in domestic yak.”
BackgroundColour aberration in Indian mammals: a review from 1886 to 2017
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“…is one of the most responsible for skin and dermal pigmentation, and its mutations result in the decrease or complete inhibition of the synthesis of one or both types of melanin in domestic chicken, quails, tiger, and other species (Gunnarsson et al., 2007; Soejima and Koda, 2007; Xu et al., 2013).”
BackgroundXiong, Q., Tao, H., Zhang, N., Zhang, L., Wang, G., Li, X., Suo, X., Zhang, F., Liu, Y., & Chen, M. (2019) · Genomics · doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.10.019 · Cited by 19
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“Lastly, we included the gene Slc45a2 (solute carrier family 45 member 2), as it has also been suggested to code for a transporter of cysteine into melanosomes (Xu et al., 2013).”
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A single base deletion in the SLC45A2 gene in a Bullmastiff with oculocutaneous albinism.
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BackgroundSelf-citationSo overt it's covert: Wildlife coloration in the city
Kreling, S. E. S. (2023) · BioScience · doi:10.1093/biosci/biad021 · Cited by 14
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Self-citationUnraveling the genomic diversity and admixture history of captive tigers in the United States
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“In fact, the white tiger (“Bengal”) breeding program was discontinued by the AZA when the intentional selection for the single variant responsible for producing the white phenotype ( 22 , 23 ), was determined to be detrimental to conservation.”
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“Research on abnormally-colored tigers (Panthera tigris) (natural polymorphism originated from the wild, captive-maintained) focused on genetic information [75,76], and was not concerned with the influence of coat color variation on their survival and reproduction in wild populations.”
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“As a case in point, a mutation in the transporter membrane protein SLC45A2, which is the genetic basis of the fur color of white tigers, was successfully predicted by using FR-t5-M [26].”
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“…the world, including marine (Fertl and Rosel 2002, Abreu et al. 2013), terrestrials (Lopucki and Mróz 2010, Abreu et al. 2013, Neves et al. 2013, Xu et al. 2013, Camargo et al. 2014, Nedyalkov et al. 2014, Sayyed et al. 2015, Kumar et al. 2016, Romero et al. 2018, Oliveira et al. 2019) and bats…”
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“, tyrosinase and melanosomal transmembrane protein) (4, 5) or are responsible for signal regulation in melanin synthesis and melanophore proliferation (e.”
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“The loss of genetic diversity and increases of autosomal recessive alleles have also been linked to other colour polymorphisms in large cats, such as the king cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus; Kaelin et al., 2012), white lion (Cho et al., 2013) and golden tiger (Panthera tigris; Xu et al., 2013).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialZhao, X., Qiu, Q.-G., Li, C., Fu, D.-K., Hu, X.-S., Gao, S.-J., Zhu, Y.-G., Mu, H.-F., Wang, R.-P., Yang, H.-M., et al. (2020) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.8939 · Cited by 6
Self-citationThe Hoof Color of Australian White Sheep Is Associated with Genetic Variation of the MITF Gene
Su, P., Wu, H., Huang, Y., Lu, X., Jing, Y., Zhang, Q., & Lan, X. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13203218 · Cited by 6
“The causative mutation was observed to result in an amino acid change (A477V) in the transporter protein SLC45A2 after being validated in 130 unrelated tigers, which led to the formation of a white coat color [45].”
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“White pattern traits are reported in various animals and have different generation methods (Xu et al., 2013; Jones et al., 2018; Cao et al., 2019; Liang et al., 2021).”
BackgroundMurakami, S., Tsuchiya, K., Nakata, K., Nishikata, M., Kitada, K., & Suzuki, H. (2022) · Mammal Study · doi:10.3106/ms2022-0003 · Cited by 4
“However, little is known about the genes or mutations responsible for leucism in wild populations, with the exception of those on partial leucistic or diluted phenotypes, namely SLC45A2 for white stripes in the Bengal tiger, Panthera tigris tigris (Xu et al. 2013), and MC1R for the pale yellow coat in the black bear,…”
BackgroundDNA matchmaking in captive facilities: a case study with tigers
Maity, S., Singh, S., Yadav, V., Chandra, K., Sharma, L., & Thakur, M. (2022) · Molecular Biology Reports · doi:10.1007/s11033-022-07376-3 · Cited by 4
“We also propose that white coat color tigers may be paired with normal coat color tiger as it has been established that difference in coat colour is only selection of white coat color gene [37, 44] and breeding between them will not affect their physiology and breeding ability.”
BackgroundHow the white tiger lost its color, but kept its stripes
Xu, X., & Luo, S.-J. (2014) · Science China Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11427-014-4697-z · Cited by 4
Self-citationTiger Ecology in Relation to Monitoring Issues
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“SLC45A2 is involved in proton-transport and osmoregulation of melanosomes resulting in colour dilution as observed in medaka (Fukamachi, Shimada, & Shima, 2001) and other organisms (e.g. Xu et al., 2013; Adhikari et al., 2019; Sevane, Sanz, & Dunner, 2019).”
BackgroundEffect of Inbreeding on Different Fitness Traits of Captive Tiger Population
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“The identification of PMEL as the driver of localized pigmentation aligns with broader vertebrate patterns, where genes like SLC45A2 and NDP exert context-dependent effects on pigment patterning (Xu et al., 2013; Vickrey et al., 2018).”
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“It is well documented, for example, that many white tigers in captivity are inbred to maintain this autosomal recessive trait [69] and consequently suffer a number of health problems [61].”
Genetic Basis of Coat Colour Variation in Members of Genus Panthera
Jain, S., & Verma, S. (2024) · Ecological Genetics and Genomics · doi:10.1016/j.egg.2024.100300 · Cited by 2
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“While the leucistic occurrence among a few large carnivores (such as tigers and lions) is well reported (Cho et al. 2013; Xu et al. 2013) , records of leucistic bears are still extremely rare, except for the Kermode Bear, which is the leucistic form of American Black Bear (Marshall & Ritland 2002).”
BackgroundReißmann, M., Ullrich, E., Bergfeld, U., & Ludwig, A. (2024) · Genes · doi:10.3390/genes15081055 · Cited by 2
Xiong, S., Cui, D., Yu, N.-B., He, R.-Q., Zhu, H.-J., Wei, J.-C., Wang, M., Duan, W., Huang, X., Ge, L., et al. (2024) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani14142109 · Cited by 2
“This process is achieved through the autonomous regulation of melanocytes— MC1R [1], SLC45A2 (solute carrier family 45 member 2) [9], and CORIN (serine peptidase) [10], and paracrine signals emanating from the dermis— ASIP (agouti signaling protein) and EDN3 (endothelin 3) [11]).”
BackgroundGalván, I., & Sanz, J. (2020) · Journal of Avian Biology · doi:10.1111/jav.02275 · Cited by 2
A SLC45A2 mutation is strongly associated with the cream dilution in Baroque donkeys
Ludwig, A., Biermann, R., Frölich, K., Jandowsky, A., Langner, C., Lieckfeldt, D., Tschann, K., & Reißmann, M. (2025) · Tierärztliche Praxis Ausgabe G: Großtiere / Nutztiere · doi:10.1055/a-2712-8607 · Cited by 1
“In these tigers, it is a missense mutation in exon 7, which causes an amino acid substitution of alanine for valine p.Ala-477Val [18].”
Conservation Genetics for Managing Biodiversity
Ghani, N. I. A., Arifin, W., & Ismail, A. (2022) · Protected Area Management - Recent Advances [Working Title] · doi:10.5772/intechopen.101872 · Cited by 1
González, G., & Aldana, V. C. (2021) · Revista de Medicina Veterinaria · doi:10.19052/mv.vol1.iss43.8 · Cited by 1
Geographic Variation in Adult and Larval Lophocampa maculata Harris 1841
Strothkamp, K. (2015) · doi:10.18473/lepi.69i3.a7 · Cited by 1
Hameed, M., Bhat, R. A., Singh, D. V., & Mehmood, M. A. (2019) · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-0031-6.ch004 · Cited by 18
Mishra, S., Mishra, C., Nayak, G., Sahoo, N., & Sahoo, S. (2017) · International Journal of Livestock Research · doi:10.5455/ijlr.20170527064650 · Cited by 1
Tiger colour morphs in zoos raise conservation and welfare concerns
Erzinçlioğlu, T. S., Piaz, M. T., Chinpilas, T., Hunnestad, A. V., Godfrey, L., & Fourage, A. (2026) · Discover Animals · doi:10.1007/s44338-026-00163-5
“Recessive genes or alleles cause these changes in fur pigmentation [28, 29].”
Sequential accumulation of adaptive alleles forms an inversion supergene in deer micePreprint
Harringmeyer, O. S., He, S., & Hoekstra, H. E. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.09.23.753864
Ding, Y.-S., Wu, Y.-J., Shan, F., Zhou, N., Lv, M.-N., Wang, C., Liu, M.-T., Li, W.-P., Chen, W., & Chen, Z.-J. (2026) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms14102256
“White lions carry a recessive mutation in the TYR gene [18], and captive breeding to maintain this phenotype involves inbreeding that is associated with compromised immune function, including reduced MHC diversity and impaired cellular and humoral immunity [19].”
Charnock, L., Gai, J., Lui, C. C., Affolter, V. K., Jordan, T. J. M., & Good, K. (2026) · Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine · doi:10.1638/2025-0066
Guimarães-Lopes, V. D. P., Rezende, C., Fortes, M. A. D. M., Olegário, T. R., de Melo, F. D., da Silva, L. D., & Loureiro, N. G. (2026) · Primates · doi:10.1007/s10329-025-01235-y
“A polymorphic phenotype refers Primates (2026) 67:29–35 can remain hidden in heterozygous individuals for many generations, making the observation and documentation of albino individuals in the wild particularly challenging (Sokos et al. 2018 ; Xu et al. 2013).”
Sun, D., Hu, J., Wen, H., Qi, X., Li, C., Wang, L., Sun, C., Zhang, X., & Li, Y. (2026) · Aquaculture · doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2026.743698
Self-citationKon, T. (2026) · Congenital Anomalies · doi:10.1002/cga.70074
“…comparison of these genome sequences (“comparative genomics”) is beginning to uncover the molecular and evolutionary bases of distinctive animal traits [26–35] (Table 1), as well as the principles of [48] chromosome evolution that are conserved across evolutionarily distant animals [49–52].”
A mutation in the SLC45A2 gene causing the cremello phenotype in a Turkish wild horse
Hacan, Ö. G., Çelikeloğlu, K., & Erdoğan, M. (2025) · Ankara Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi · doi:10.33988/auvfd.1650179
Short-term gonadal cultures are sufficient for germline transmission in a songbird
Biegler, M. T., Harter, E., Sidhu, A. V., Szialta, C., Durham, G., Tchernichovski, L., Collier, P., Luo, J.-D., Wang, W., MacIsaac, R., et al. (2025) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/2025.04.25.650428
“A region with equivalent coverage around 43.63Mb (43ctrl) was selected as a control, proximal to the SLC45A2 gene that is associated with leucistic phenotypes in birds 44–46 .”
Mazim, F., Wagner, P. G., Junior, J. A. M., Stefanello, S., Kuester, P., Spiazzi, D. A., Fagundes, D., Soares, J., & de Oliveira, T. D. (2023) · Biota Neotropica · doi:10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2022-1456
Mohammadzadeh, P., Shadan, N., Mohammadi, S., Najafi, F., & Bashiri, A. (2023) · Slovenian Veterinary Research · doi:10.26873/svr-1694-2023
“The white tiger, also known as the bleached tiger, is a pigmentation variant (leucistic) variety of Royal Bengal Tigers, Amur tigers, and a Crossbreed hybrid of the two that are occasionally seen in the wild in Indian states (2,3).”
BackgroundGenetic characterization of Macaca arctoides: A highlight of key genes and pathways
Novak, T. E., Bailey, N. P., & Stevison, L. (2023) · Primates · doi:10.1007/s10329-023-01064-x
“Within the WNT signaling pathway, GSK3B is activated by a gene called dishevelled segment polarity protein 1 (DVL1), which leads to activation of the entire pathway (Yavropoulou and Yovos 2007), but similar to the hedgehog pathway, there is no literature on WNT signaling-GSK3B phenotypes.”
BackgroundBen-Braiek, M., Szymczak, S., André, C., Bardou, P., Fidelle, F., Granado-Tajada, I., Plisson-Petit, F., Sarry, J., Woloszyn, F., Moreno-Romieux, C., et al. (2023) · bioRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.03.13.532360
Herencia del color del pelaje en el ganado criollo Romosinuano
Ossa-Saraz, G. A., Santana-Rodriguez, M. O., & Velásquez-Penagos, J. H. (2022) · Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal Recia · doi:10.24188/recia.v14.n2.2022.921
Transmission of Hologenomes Between Generations: Mothers Matter Most
ROSENBERG, E. B. (2021) · The microbiomes of humans, animals, plants, and the environment · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65317-0_5 · Cited by 2
Marcellini, S., & Escrivá, H. (2016) · Frontiers in Genetics · doi:10.3389/fgene.2016.00148
Snowflake, albinism and conservation
Montoliu, L. (2013) · Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research · doi:10.1111/pcmr.12133
Metadata
- Authors
- Xu, X., Dong, G.-X., Hu, X.-S., Miao, L., Zhang, X.-L., Zhang, D.-L., Yang, H.-D., Zhang, T.-Y., Zou, Z.-T., Zhang, T.-T., Zhuang, Y., Bhak, J., Cho, Y. S., Dai, W.-T., Jiang, T.-J., Xie, C., Li, R., & Luo, S.-J.
- Affiliations
- Peking University (CN)
- Genome Research Foundation (KR)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Ruiqiang
- Luo, Shu-Jin
- Venue
- Current Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-06
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1031-1035
- ISSN
- 0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2066422189
- Cited by
- 212
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 9.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Current Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Scholarworks@UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Keywords
- white tiger, Bengal tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, SLC45A2, melanogenesis, coat color, autosomal recessive inheritance, inbreeding, color polymorphism, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing, whole genome sequencing
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Female, Hair, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Pigmentation, Polymorphism, Genetic, Amino Acid Substitution, Membrane Transport Proteins, Tigers, Genome-Wide Association Study
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