In other species: Tasmanian devil , common brushtail possum , gray wolf , coyote , dog , red fox , domestic cat , leopard , ass (donkey) , domestic horse , pig , Arabian camel , llama , Western roe deer , impala , taurine cattle , goat , sheep , rabbit , tassel-eared squirrel , North American deer mouse , Mongolian gerbil , meadow voles , domestic guinea pig , fallow deer , alpaca , leopard cat , oldfield mouse , Kodkod , Asiatic golden cat , Northern mole vole , Eurasian water mole , Colocolo

Categories: Pigmentation phene

Links to possible relevant human trait(s) and/or gene(s) in OMIM: 611742 (trait) , 600201 (gene)

Single-gene trait/disorder: yes

Mode of inheritance: Probably autosomal recessive

Disease-related: no

Key variant known: yes

Year key variant first reported: 2025

Cross-species summary: This locus, ASIP, encodes the agouti signalling protein, a peptide antagonist of the melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor (MC1R), which is the product of the extension locus. As explained by Schneider et al. (PLoS Genet 10(2): e1004892; 2015), "The most common causes of melanism (black coat) mutations are gain-of-function alterations in MC1R, or loss-of function alterations in ASIP, which encodes Agouti signaling protein, a paracrine signaling molecule that inhibits MC1R signaling".

Molecular basis: Sauerman et al. (2025) investigated the melanistic morph of the eastern quoll: "In eastern quolls, we identify [an approximately 4.7 kb] deletion encompassing the ASIP start codon which was found to be homozygous only in the melanistic animals examined."

Associated gene: