Saturday, December 1, 2018

Why Huskies Have Blue Eyes


It is certain that a trademark of the Siberian husky are their piercing blue eyes. Recently a study has been conducted and have shown that a duplication of a specific canine chromosome is responsible for the blue eyes. Researchers of the Embark Veterinary Inc. tested more than 6,000 dogs and discovered that the duplication of the canine chromosome 18 is correlated with the breed's distinctive eye color. The chromosome duplication occurs near the ALX4 gene, which serves as important in the development in eye color in mammals. 

This study is thought of as the largest study to compare genetic profiles, and find the "tweak" that causes the blue eyes. According to Irizarry, of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Science, the mutation of the ALX4 gene in the husky breed results in decreased pigment production in their eyes. This lack of pigmentation causes the eyes to look blue. The mutation or duplication of the chromosome can also explain how tri- colored Australian shepherds can have blue eyes, which was unknown until that discovery. This study was done with so much information and has become the largest genomic studies ever conducted in dogs. I find it extremely interesting because with humans and even some dog breeds blue eyes are simply just a recessive trait, but now with the Siberian Husky it has been found its due to a genetic mutation.  It has answered questions that people have wondered about for a long time, and can continue to lead researchers to more studies having to do with dog genomics.

4 comments:

  1. This information is so interesting! I wonder if this will take off as a form of gene editing now, like what is available for humans. Maybe people who have the money could choose to have their dogs eyes be blue. I always loved the eyes on a husky, and it's cool to see that there is a genetic reason to them.

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  2. I never really considered the fact that so many huskies have blue eyes. I noticed it for sure, but I didn't think about the genetics behind it. It's very interesting that the trait is due to a genetic mutation, and it's a mutation that might just be a benefit for them! Their blue eyes are big reason some people fall in love with them. I'm happy to see a blog post about dogs and this recent discovery regarding them!

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  3. This was so cool to learn about!! I always wondered what caused the differentiation in eye color in some dog breeds than others because my Catahoula puppy also has blue eyes, but my dog's brothers and sisters don't have blue eyes.

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  4. I absolutely love Siberian Huskies! I think they are the coolest breed of dogs. I wonder what causes them to have two different eye colors as well. Perhaps they have two different chromosomes that effect their eye color make up or maybe its a mutation in ALX4. Interesting article, love the topic!

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