FIG. 2.

Maternal dietary methyl supplementation and coat color phenotype of A^vy/a offspring. (A) Isogenic A^vy/a animals representing the five coat color classes used to classify phenotype. The A^vy alleles of yellow mice are hypomethylated, allowing maximal ectopic agouti expression. A^vy hypermethylation silences ectopic agouti expression in pseudoagouti animals (15), recapitulating the agouti phenotype. (B) Coat color distribution of all A^vy/a offspring born to nine unsupplemented dams (30 offspring; shaded bars) and 10 supplemented dams (39 offspring; black bars). The coat color distribution of supplemented offspring is shifted toward the pseudoagouti phenotype compared to that of unsupplemented offspring (P = 0.008).