One Gene Lays The Blueprint for A Cheetah's Spots And A Tabby Cat's Stripes
Tabby Cats A mutation in Taqpep converts a "mackerel tabby" pattern (upper) to a "blotched tabby" pattern (lower). Courtesy Helmi FlickA new study is the first to identify a molecular basis for cat coat patterns. Could cat stripes be an immune defense mechanism? Anyone who's ever seen a cat knows how distinct and different they look compared to every other cat - stripes and whorls cover their coats in seemingly endless variation. It turns out that one gene is responsible for regulating these patterns, and it's true for all of the domestic cat's larger cousins. Different mutations on a shared gene produce the blotchy patterns of pet tabbies as well as the stripes on a rare type of wild cheetahs. What's more, one geneticist thinks there could be an immunological reason for all these unique designs. Cat coat genetics are complex and confusing, in part because phenotypes - the way cats look...