The C Locus has five different alleles in it: ‘C’, ‘c(chd)’, c(chl), 'c(ch)', and ‘c’. ‘C’ is the most dominant, ‘c(chd)’ is the next most dominant, then 'c(chm)', then 'c(chl)', then 'c(ch)', and finally ‘c’ is the most recessive.

C: Full color
cᶜʰᵈ: Chinchilla dark
cᶜʰˡ: Chinchilla light
cʰ: Himalayan/Californian/Pointed White
c: Albino/REW

Gene involved: TYR (tyrosinase) gene (Fontanesi, 2021)

FULL COLOR
This is the "normal" allele that is found in wild rabbit (Chestnut) color.

The ‘C’ allele is the Full Color allele. All non-chinchilla, non-shaded, non-pointed, and non-albino rabbits must have at least one of these alleles. If they have two of these alleles, then they are homozygous (Meaning it is “pure” for that allele, so that it cannot produce anything recessive to it no mater what it is bred to.) for Full Colour. The following varieties are examples of varieties that have the Full Colour allele:

Chestnut, Castor, Sandy Gray, Copper, Gray, Opal, Chocolate Agouti, Cinnamon, Lynx, Red, Fawn, Cream, Orange, Tricolor, Japanese Harlequin (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac), Tan (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac), Otter (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac), Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Tortoise (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac), Fox (Black, Blue Chocolate, Lilac).

Full Color can carry Chinchilla Dark, Chinchilla Medium, Shaded, Pointed White, and Albino.

CHINCHILLA DARK
This allele removes all red, orange, and fawn pigment coloring from the coat, leaving behind white.

The 'c(chd)' allele is the Chinchilla Dark alle. All Chinchilla Dark animals must have at least one of these alleles. If they have two of these alleles, then they are homozygous for Chinchilla Dark. The following are examples of varieties that have the Chinchilla Dark allele:

Self Chinchilla, Chinchilla, Blue Chinchilla, Squirrel, Chocolate Chinchilla, Lilac Chinchilla, Frosted Pearl, Brown Eyed White, Silver Marten (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac), Tortoise Marten (Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac).

Chinchilla Dark can carry Chinchilla Medium, Shaded, Pointed White, and Albino.

SHADED (AKA: Chinchilla Light)
This allele removes all red, orange, and fawn pigment coloring from the coat, leaving behind white. It also makes the color (black, blue, chocolate, lilac) lighter, and spreads it into a pattern so that the shading is darker than the body color.

The ‘c(chl)’ allele is the Shaded allele. All true shaded (tortoise is not true shaded) rabbits must have at least one of these alleles. If they have two of these alleles, then they are homozygous for Shaded. The following varieties have the Shaded allele:

Seal, Sable*, Siamese Sable, Sable Point,

* The Shaded allele is incompletely dominant to the Pointed White and to the Albino alleles. If a Shaded rabbit carries Pointed White or Albino, it will have lighter body color than one that is homozygous (pure for) Shaded. Seal is homozygous shaded, Sable is a Shaded rabbit which carries either Pointed White or Albino.

Notice the difference between sables and seals, especially in the younger ages! Immature sable-based colors go through a "frosted out" appearing stage before maturing. They are born looking diluted. Immature seals are born dark and don't go through the frosted out stage.

POINTED WHITE
This allele removes all red, orange, and fawn pigment coloring from the coat, leaving behind white. It also makes the colour (black, blue, chocolate, lilac) appear only on the points (ears, feet, legs, nose, tail).

The ‘c(ch)’ allele is the Pointed White allele. All Pointed White animals must have at least one of these alleles. If they have two of these alleles, then they are homozygous for Pointed White. The following varieties have the Pointed White alleles:

Pointed White (All)*, Himalayan Pointed White (All)*, Californian*.

* The Pointed White allele is incompletely dominant to the Albino allele. If a Pointed White rabbit carries the Albino allele, the points are usually lighter than those of a homozygous Pointed White.

** Since the Shaded allele is incompletely dominant to the Pointed White allele, it produces a different color if the Shaded carries a Pointed White gene than if it is homozygous for Shaded.

*** Pointed White is a temperature sensitive allele. Pigment can only form where temperatures at the growing hair cells are cool enough. This is why kits often have colored tipped hairs ("smut"), and darker points can be attained by raising Pointed Whites in cooler temperatures. The points of a rabbit's body correspond to where the body temperature is naturally cooler; ears, feet and legs, tail, nose, and edge of dewlap.

Pointed White can carry Albino.

ALBINO
This gene removes ALL pigment from the rabbit, leaving behind a fully white rabbit with pink eyes (the pink is from the blood vessels in the eyes).

The ‘c’ allele is the Albino allele. All Ruby Eyed Whites must have two of these alleles, and are automatically homozygous for Albino. The following varieties have the Albino allele:

Ruby Eyed White.

* The Pointed White allele is said to be incompletely dominant to the Albino allele. If a Pointed White rabbit carries the Albino allele, the points are usually lighter than those of a homozygous Pointed White. However, some of my very best colored Pointed Whites have carried the Albino allele, so the truth of this is debatable.

** Since the Shaded allele is incompletely dominant to the Albino allele, it produces a different color if the Shaded carries an Albino allele than if it is homozygous for Shaded.

*** The 'c' gene is a masking allele. It masks all other color so that it doesn't appear in the coat, skin, eyes, etc. Albino can't carry anything.

Ruby Eyed White (albino): cc
Note that this color is always pure white with red eyes.

Photo credit: Dichrome Rabbitry

References PDFs