STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have found a gene previously believed to play a role in fighting infection actually determines coat color in dogs.

Led by genetics Professor Greg Barsh of the Stanford University School of Medicine, the scientists confirmed the long-held suspicion that coat color in dogs is determined by a different genetic mechanism than the one responsible for coat color in other mammals.

Barsh and his team swabbed the inner cheeks of hundreds of dogs and analyzed the DNA in the resulting samples. They found the gene controlling coat color in dogs makes a protein that had been believed to fight infections, but which actually controls the type of melanin the body produces as well as the amount of cortisol -- a chemical important for the adaptation to stress and the regulation of weight.

One version of the gene produces yellow fur while another version produces black fur. The research team found that all coat colors in dogs are modifications of black and yellow.

Barsh said the team’s work might have important implications for the development of personalized medicine and individualized treatments based on genetic factors.

The research appears in the journal Science.