Health & Medicine Week
Welcome to NewsRx!
Learn more about a six-week, no-risk free trial of Health & Medicine Week
We're a pay-per-view site for premium content. If you'd like to purchase this article, it's only $3.00.
Harvard University
Interaction of just 2 genes governs coloration patterns in mice
August 27th, 2007
Biologists at Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego, have found that a simple interaction between just two genes determines the patterns of fur coloration that camouflage mice against their background, protecting them from many predators. The work, published this week in the journal PLoS Biology, marks one of the few instances in which specific genetic changes have been linked to an organism's ability to survive in the wild. "Our work shows how changes in just a few genes can greatly alter an organism's appearance," says Hopi E. Hoekstra, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "It also...
Source: Health & Medicine Week (2007-08-27)
|
