[Heterozygosity for Mutations Affecting Coat Pigmentation in the American Mink (Neovison vison) Enhances Structural Stability of Adrenal Cortex under Stress Conditions].

The results of the study of the effects of heterozygosity for mutations affecting coat pigmentation on the response to the environmental stress caused by extreme feeding conditions are provided. The animals with the following genotypes were taken into the study: homozygotes standard (+/+), hedlund white (h/h), and aleutian (a/a) and heterozygotes hedlund white (h/+) and aleutian (a/+). The animals homozygous for the aleutian mutation (a/a) showed a statistically lower growth rate than the animals of other genotypes both in the ontrol and in the experiment (p < 0.