Why do Dalmatians have spots? And how do those spots form after birth in such a consistent and striking way? This project sets out to answer those questions by looking at the biology behind pigmentation patterns in animals—specifically, how pigment cells behave and interact with the skin and hair as animals grow.

We’re focusing on Dalmatians because their spots are a bit of a mystery. They don’t appear until after birth and then develop into clear, round patches. This suggests that both chance and biological rules are at play. While scientists have identified some genes that might be involved, we still don’t know exactly how these genes lead to the patterns we see.

To get to the bottom of it, we’re combining lab experiments with computer modelling. We’re growing pigment cells from Dalmatian spots to see where they come from and how they behave. We’re also using a mouse model with similar spotting to track how these patterns develop. Alongside this, we’re sequencing the Dalmatian genome to better understand the genes involved. All of this data will feed into a computer model that simulates how spots form and change over time.

By bringing together biology and maths, we hope to build a complete picture of how these beautiful patterns emerge. Our findings could help breeders, contribute to genetic research, and even shed light on how similar processes work in other animals—including humans.

Focus areas & expected outputs

We are growing Dalmatian pigment cell lines to study how individual spots form, including generating lineage maps and image data. In parallel, we are modelling how pigment cells move and grow in the skin and interact with hair follicles, supported by imaging data. Using a mouse model, we are tracing how spots form and identifying when different pigment cells contribute to the pattern.

We are also sequencing the Dalmatian genome to understand how key genes affect pigment cells and their behaviour. All of these findings will be integrated into a comprehensive computer model that predicts how spots form and evolve.

Expected outputs include cell lines, lineage data, imaging datasets, genome data, gene function insights, open-source code, simulations, and publications. that brings together all our findings to predict how spots form. Outputs: open-source code, simulations, publications.

Project Team

• Principal Investigator: Dr Richard L. Mort (Lancaster University – developmental biology, imaging)

• Co-investigators: Dr Barbara B. Shih (bioinformatics and systems biology); Professor Christian Yates (University of Bath – mathematical modelling)

• Postdoctoral researchers: RA1 (Lancaster – experimental biology), RA2 (Bath – modelling)

• Advisory team: Prof Denis Headon (hair follicle development), Prof Kevin Painter (mathematical biology), Dr Jeffrey Schoenebeck (canine genetics), Prof Danika Bannasch (Dalmatian genetics), Dr Luigi Sedda (spatial analysis)

Methods snapshot

We’re using a mix of lab techniques and computer simulations: growing and studying pigment cells, imaging developing skin, sequencing DNA, and building models to simulate how spots form.

Dissemination

We’ll share our findings through open-access publications, conferences, online data and code, and outreach to breeders and the public.