MC1R including Black/Red (Telstar) in Holsteins

Quick Summary

The Melanocortin-1 Receptor gene (MC1R), also called Extension (E), controls black and red pigment production in cattle. In Holsteins, there are four known variants including Black/Red (Telstar).

Red and Black Holstein Cattle — Holstein cows

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Phenotypes:

Dominant black: Holstein cattle with dominant black are black and white.
Black/Red: The Black/Red variant results in red color at birth which changes to black at a young age, usually by 3-6 months.
Wild type red: Wild Type red produces cattle with red and white coloration that may appear darker towards the extremities of the body, especially as the animal ages.
Recessive red: Cattle with two copies of the recessive red allele are red in color.

Mode of Inheritance: Autosomal recessive, order of dominance is E^D > E ^BR > E⁺ > e

Alleles:

E^D = Dominant black

E^BR = Black/Red (Telstar)

E⁺ = Wild type

e = Recessive red

Breeds appropriate for testing: Holstein

Explanation of Results:

Cattle with E^D/E^D genotype will be black and white and cannot produce true red offspring.^† They will transmit this dominant black variant to all of their offspring.
Cattle with E^D/E^BR, E^D/E⁺, and E^D/e genotypes will be black and white and are carriers of their respective less-dominant variants. Matings between two carriers of the same recessive variant (e.g. E^D/e x E^D/e) result in a 25% chance of producing a calf with that recessive coloration (e.g. E^D/e x E^D/e has a 25% chance of producing a red calf).^†
Cattle with E^BR/E^BR genotype will be Black/Red and cannot produce true red offspring.^† They will transmit this Black/Red variant to all of their offspring.
Cattle with E^BR/E⁺ and E^BR/e will be Black/Red and carriers of their respective less-dominant variants. Matings between two carriers of the same recessive allele (e.g. E^BR/E⁺ x E^BR/E⁺) result in a 25% chance of producing a calf with that recessive coloration (e.g. E^BR/E⁺ x E^BR/E⁺ has a 25% chance of producing a Wild type-colored calf).^†
Cattle with E⁺/E⁺ genotype will be Wild type red and white. They will transmit this Wild type variant to all of their offspring.
Cattle with E⁺/e genotype will be Wild type red and white and carriers of recessive red. They will transmit this recessive red variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings between two carriers of recessive red result in a 25% chance of producing a calf with recessive red coloration.
Cattle with e/e genotype will be recessive red and white. All calves produced from matings with other e/e genotype cattle will have recessive red base coloration.

^†In the absence of the Dominant Red mutation. Holsteins with the Dominant Red variant will be red and white regardless of MC1R genotype. See Dominant Red test for more information.

Turnaround Time

At least 15 business days; may be delayed beyond 15 business days if sample requires additional testing, or a new sample is requested.

Price

$30 one test per animal

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Instructions

Sample Collection

Most of the cattle DNA tests offered by the VGL are carried out using cells from the roots of a hair sample (roughly 20-30 hairs).

Hair samples should be taken from the switch of the tail, the poll, or the neck.

Cattle sampling examples — Sampling from the tail switch (left); Sampling from the poll (right)

1. Clean (use comb if possible) tail switch, poll, or neck by removing all loose hair and foreign matter.

2. Use fingers or pliers to grasp approximately 8-10 hairs close to the skin and pull. Pull (do NOT cut) hair strands. Examine the end of hair strands for presence of root bulbs. Hair roots are necessary for DNA testing. If the majority of hair strands lack the root bulbs, discard hair and start again.

3. Repeat until you have approximately 20-30 hairs with root follicles attached.

4. Place the 20-30 hairs with root follicles attached in the envelope and seal with the animal’s ID written on the envelope. If hairs are long they can be taped to the submission form. Do not tape the roots.

Cattle hair in envelope

hairs with roots showing

5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each additional animal being sampled.

Note:

- Hair should be dry.

- If hair has excess dirt and debris, please brush out if possible before pulling hairs for sample.

- Do not cut the hair! The roots contain the DNA for testing.

- When sampling several animals in the same session, make sure that there are no hair strands in your hands to reduce the possibility of sample contamination. Clean hands and/or pliers if possible.

Additional Details

The Melanocortin-1 Receptor gene (MC1R), also called Extension (E), controls black and red pigment production in cattle. Holstein cattle have another gene, Dominant Red, which overrides MC1R and produces dominant red pigment. Both the Dominant Red test and this Holstein-specific MC1R test help Holstein breeders select for their preferred color variants.

The four alleles of the MC1R gene are dominant black (E^D), Black/Red (E^BR), wild type red (E⁺), and recessive red (e). Dominant black (E^D) is dominant to the other three alleles, and animals with E^D are black and white. Black/Red, also known as Telstar, (E^BR), results in red color at birth which changes to black at a young age, usually by 3-6 months. Wild type red (E⁺) produces cattle with red and white coloration that may appear darker towards the extremities of the body, especially as the animal ages. Two copies of the recessive red (e) allele result in red color. The order of dominance is E^D>E^BR>E⁺>e.

Note: The test for Black/Red color is based on a linked marker associated with the phenotype. Research is ongoing to find the causative mutation for Black/Red.

Other Holstein breed-specific tests offered by the VGL:

Type of Sample

20-30 Hairs With Roots

Species

Cattle

Breed

Holstein

Type of Test

Coat Color and/or Type

Results Reported As

Test Result	Melanocortin-1 Receptor gene (MC1R) / Extension (E)
E^D/E^D	Black and white. This animal cannot produce red offspring. *
E^D/E^BR	Black and white, carrier of Black/Red. *
E^D/E⁺	Black and white, carrier of wild type red. *
E^D/e	Black and white, carrier of recessive red. *
E^BR/E^BR	Black/Red. This animal cannot produce true red offspring. *
E^BR/E⁺	Black/Red, carrier of wild type red. *
E^BR/e	Black/Red, carrier of recessive red. *
E⁺/E⁺	Wild type red and white.
E⁺/e	Wild type red and white, carrier of recessive red.
e/e	Recessive red and white. When bred to another e/e will produce only red offspring.

* In the absence of Dominant Red

References

Klungland, H., Vage, D.I., Gomez-Raya, L., Adalsteinsson, S., Lien, S. (1995). The role of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) receptor in bovine coat color determination. Mammalian Genome, 6(9), 636-639. doi: 10.1007/BF00352371

Lawlor, T.J., VanRaden, P.M., Null, D., Levisee, J., & Dorshorst, B. (2014). Using haplotypes to unravel the inheritance of Holstein coat color. Proceedings, 10th World Congress of Genetics Applied to Livestock Production.

Quick Summary

Sample Collection

Note:

Species

Breed

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