The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
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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The underwhite (uw) locus acts autonomously and reduces the production of melanin
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Flagged first, then by citations
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Eriksen, M., Lebreton, L. C. M., Carson, H. S., Thiel, M., Moore, C. J., Borerro, J. C., Galgani, F., Ryan, P. G., & Reisser, J. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111913 · Cited by 4,710
Horton, A. A., Walton, A., Spurgeon, D. J., Lahive, E., & Svendsen, C. (2017) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.190 · Cited by 3,756
The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris
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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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