The Attractin Gene

In addition to working on my presentation, I examined my research and communicated with my post-doctorate mentor to obtain a greater understanding of the significance of my research. My research focused on sequencing the introns of the Attractin gene, rather than the coding exons, in order to determine if variation in any sites in Attractin are associated with coat color. Most introns do not code for proteins; in addition, there is more likely to be variation within the non-coding regions of a gene, the introns. However, the likely causative mutation for coat color variation in the Agouti gene in the Kenzin, New Mexico, population was found in an exon (an expressed, coding region of a gene). It is unknown whether a mutation in the Attractin gene altering coat color (if one exists) would be in a coding or non-coding region. As Attractin is very large, fully sequencing the gene is not a rapid process. However, linkage disequilibrium (a non-random association of alleles) in wild house mice extends across reasonable distances, meaning the association of one loci in a gene to coat color most likely corresponds to the association of that loci to another in that gene. Thus, it is not necessary to sequence the causative site of coat color variation (if such a site exits) to pick up the “signal” of the presence of linkage disequilibrium; rather, such a “signal” is identifiable by sequencing something in close proximity to the causative mutation. Therefore, I sequenced the Attractin gene in regular intervals across the genes in areas likely to contain polymorphic (variable) sites (introns). While my research does not definitively rule out some contribution of variation in Attractin to the melanic phenotype, it does serve as strong evidence that there is no relation between the two.