# C dilute - teach me!



## mousery_girl (Nov 13, 2011)

don't understand this, is this epistasic like yellow? or is it just ressive like albino? does the dominant C work on all colours?


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

There are many different modifications of the c-locus. All work on either the pheomelanin (red pigment) or the eumelanin (black pigment) _and_ the pheomelanin. All mouse colours are made from these two pigments, something that never ceases to amaze me.

Names of loci:
C = full colour, dominant over all c-loci
c = albino
ce = extreme dilute
ch = Himalayan
cch = chinchilla
There are more theorised loci such as 'ci' which is supposed to be intense chinchilla or something like that, but I remain sceptical. The ones I've seen claiming to be such have just been poor examples of a normal variety.

Distinctive varieties:
C/* = full colour
c/c = albino (PEW)
c/ce = black eyed cream (USA Ivory?, Europe black eyed bone)
ce/ce = stone (USA & Europe beige)
c/ch = Himalayan
ch/ch = seal point Siamese
A/* cch/cch = silver agouti (combined with a white belly this is chinchilla)
ch/cch = Burmese (USA sable Siamese)
ce/ch = black eyed Siamese (USA & Europe colourpoint beige)

The browns (often referred to as sepia, mock chocolate or occasionally mud):
Many different combinations of c-dilutes make a rubbish brown :lol:
Examples are ce/cch = dark brown, c/cch = bright brown.

All of these loci dilute red pigment to white. That's what we see in chinchillas and silver foxes; red pigment dilution only. Others like 'c' and 'ce' dilute all the colours, while the 'ch' genes dilute all of the red pigment but only dilute black pigment on the warmest parts of the mouse, hence why they create coloured points on the colder nose, tail, ears and feet.

Chocolate can change the colour slightly, blue has a more dramatic effect (so you can get blue Siamese, blue chinchilla, etc) and pink eye dilute will be diluted to white (so a dove point Siamese will look like a PEW). Agouti will result in a weaker, 'streaky' look, but pretty much the same. Reds will be diluted to cream or white.

I hope this helps you


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## mousery_girl (Nov 13, 2011)

wow! I'm saving that! thanks very much


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

You're very welcome 

I should correct myself though - the c-locus doesn't _dilute_ pigment like I kept saying above, rather it _restricts_ pigment. A Siamese or stone is not diluted to beige, the colour is restricted and kept from displaying it's full intensity. Albino is not diluted pigment, it is a complete restriction of pigment.

Also, pheomelanin is known correctly as 'yellow' pigment, not red. Although it is red (on a good red, tan, etc), yellow is the correct term.

I was tired yesterday :lol:


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Brilliant! Thanks!

I hate c-dilutes. Dyslexia doesn't help either. :roll:


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## Shadowrunner (Sep 26, 2011)

Jeez! You know how long I've been trying to understand those?
Well I do now! Thank you, that had to take forever.


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## Wight Isle Stud (May 19, 2010)

Wonderful clear explanation Sarah. Apart from the enlightened, there is a popular belief that c/c i.e Pew or Albino can carry any other colour of Fancy Mouse. Can you explain why this is not so, but in your lovely clear way. (I will print that off as well then ! )


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## Laigaie (Mar 7, 2011)

Because c/c takes up both alleles on the C-locus, albino cannot "carry" other c genes, like ch or cch. Some reports of c/p linkage (the c and p loci are on the same chromosome) suggest that you may have trouble getting c/c p/p mice, but others of us have had c and p acting like any other.


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Finally! This is amazing! The c-dilutes have given me grief for ages!


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