The coat color of calico cats is a result of .
A) Maternal inheritance
B) X-inactivation
C) Imprinting
D) Extra nuclear inheritance

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

X-inactivation is the process by which one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals is randomly inactivated in each cell. This process ensures that female mammals have only one active X chromosome per cell, just like males. In calico cats, the X chromosome that carries the gene for orange fur is inactivated in some cells, while the X chromosome that carries the gene for black fur is inactivated in other cells. This results in a patchwork of orange and black fur.

The Coat Color of Calico Cats Is a Result of