Why cats are orange (and tortoiseshell and calico)

27.05.2025    The Mercury News    5 views
Why cats are orange (and tortoiseshell and calico)

Nine thousand years ago humans began domesticating cats Nine hundred years ago before the advent of intentional cat breeding a genetic mutation gave rise to the first orange cat Days ago Stanford Medicine researchers revealed exactly which gene created the fuzzy fodders for Garfield Puss In Boots and Toulouse from The Aristocats to name just a scant Unlike any other ginger mammals orange cats coloration owes to a sex-linked gene which is why of orange felines are fellas The unique sex-linked orange genetic mutation remained enigmatic for years while scientists tried to figure out what induced cats pigment cells to produce yellow orange or red coloration instead of the usual brown and black Researchers from Brown University the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Auburn University also contributed to the research A band at Kyushu University in Japan published similar findings by studying the DNA of cats in Asia furthering the understanding that the reason for orange cats is consistent worldwide Wiggy an approximately five-week-old kitten wakes up from a nap at Pets In Need Redwood City in Redwood City Calif on Friday May Wiggy will soon be available for adoption Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group The only exception is the Norwegian forest cat which manifests as orange because of the same genetic trait that causes red hair in humans Stanford Medicine s Christopher Kaelin a senior scientist in genetics Greg Barsh an emeritus professor of genetics and pediatrics and genetics researcher Kelly McGowan shared cat DNA samples with these groups to get a strong global sample The association also attended dozens of cat shows from California to Brazil approaching hundreds of orange cat owners for help collecting cat DNA Kaelin ascertained breeders and owners to be deeply supportive of cat research even if the collection process was challenging At one large three-day show in Cleveland Ohio Kaelin and crew swabbed cats on-site by sticking a cotton swab into their mouths to collect a small bit of DNA from the inside of their cheeks Spay-and-neuter clinics also contributed tissue after surgically sterilizing feral cats The scientists sequenced the genomes from out of collected samples of orange cat DNA with non-orange DNA to extrapolate the differences They revealed manageable variants on the X chromosomes of male orange cats and eliminated of them after finding the genomes in selected non-orange cats as well Of the three remaining variants a gene called Arhgap came into focus Researchers in cancer and developmental biology were already studying this gene because its over-expression in neuroendocrine tissues led to tumors in various mammals No one previously had made any connection to pigment cells The mechanism they unveiled Kaelin stated is not located on a gene it s located near a gene In cats only a small deletion of information on the X chromosome activates Arhgap in pigment cells where it is normally not advancing triggering orange fur Males have XY sex chromosomes and females have XX Male cats with an orange X chromosome will be orange whereas females need to inherit this trait on both of their chromosomes to be perfectly orange Marlin a -year-old orange cat available for adoption looks around his room at Pets In Need Redwood City in Redwood City Calif on Friday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Females with just one orange X chromosome can present as tortoiseshell or calico These mottled and patchy coats are a visual manifestation of the genetic phenomenon of random X inactivation in all female mammals In each cell of a female organism one of the X chromosomes is turned off In female cats coat color shows whether the sex-linked orange is the chromosome that s on or off in the underlying pigment cells Our ability to do this has been enabled by the advance of genomic information for the cat that have become available in just the last five or years Kaelin reported He has received a flurry of congratulatory texts from orange cat owners breeders and fans whose cats participated in the survey It s an intriguing mutation and unlikely to happen twice noted Kaelin explaining why cat lovers and researchers want to know more McGowan explained that about of cats in Northern California at present are orange The research publication cites the appearance of orange cats in th-century Chinese paintings and Renaissance paintings Kaelin disclosed scientists who examine ancient cat DNA continue seeking the origin of the first orange cats The biobank of cat genes remaining from his crew s orange cat research could aid in this pursuit as well as further research about adaptation and evolution on the molecular scale in other mammals including humans Laura Birdsall director of behavior and clinical services at Pets in Need in Redwood City declared the shelter is having an extraordinary wave of orange cats during this spring s delayed kitten season when a new generation of feral cats blooms Related Articles California man accused of beating and killing multiple cats misses hearing warrant issued for his arrest It s officially rattlesnake season in the Bay Area Is there life after extinction Particular Bay Area scientists and conservationists are trying to find out Union raises concerns about scapegoating retaliation after death at San Jose animal shelter Alligator that starred in Happy Gilmore dies of old age in Colorado Birdsall disclosed that prospective cat adopters go by color and size preference when choosing kittens and consider personality more when evaluating full-grown cats She declared orange cats discovered homes expeditiously for reasons of both standout appearance and personality I m partial to orange cats she shared I grew up with an orange cat that was my baby This is just my opinion but they seem to be more outgoing and friendly Kaelin Barsh and McGowan haven t discovered any other physical or behavioral quirks linked to Arghap other than coat color so far For now Kaelin hypothesizes that orange cats reputation as friendly agents of chaos might have something to do with their being mostly male But who knows Kaelin pointed out that there haven t been too a large number of scientific studies about orange cats personalities but that citizen studies often surveyed the masses for commentary on their perceived quirks Left to right Emily Puckett associate professor at University of Memphis teaching genetics research Chris Kaelin and Kelly McGowan both senior scientists at the Greg Barsh Lab Department of Genetics at Stanford stand with a -week-old kitten named Wiggy at Pets In Need Redwood City in Redwood City Calif on Friday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group

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