image: Researchers have discovered the gene that controls the coat color of dogs, including these poodles Cocoa (left) and Ruby. The discovery unexpectedly reveal a relationship between the coat-color gene and a protein family involved in innate immunity. This image relates to an article that appeared in the Oct. 19, 2007 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. S.I. Candille and colleagues at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., was titled 'A beta-defensin mutation causes black coat color in domestic dogs.' view more
Credit: Image © Science