As we discussed in class coat color in cats is determined by

As we discussed in class, coat color in cats is determined by pigment genes on the X chromosome. The X^B allele encodes black fur and the X^O encodes orange fur. X^BX^O females express a mosaic phenotype known as “tortoiseshell.” My friend’s cat Loser happens to be a tortoiseshell cat. One night in the summer, Loser spent the night carousing in the neighborhood and came home pregnant. A few weeks later she had 5 kittens: an orange male, a black male, two tortoiseshell females and an orange female. Give the genotypes of Loser, her kittens, and the libidinous male she encountered that fateful night.

Solution

As females comprises XX allosomal ccomposition, they can express both the alleles. That means we can observe Codominant nature in Black and orange alleles in case of Females. Where as Male comprises XY allosomal composition, they only contain single allele either Black or Orange. Codominant nature cannot observe In males.

XO Y = Orange Male; XB Y = Black Male; XBXO = Tortoise shell female; XOXO = Orange female

Here Black and Orange alleles exhibits codominant nature