Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats
2012
Kaelin, Christopher B. | Xu, Xiao | Hong, Lewis Z. | David, Victor A. | McGowan, Kelly A. | Schmidt-Küntzel, Anne | Roelke, Melody E. | Pino, Javier | Pontius, Joan | Cooper, Gregory M. | Manuel, Hermogenes | Swanson, William F. | Marker, Laurie | Harper, Cindy K. | Van Dyk, Ann | Yue, Bisong | Mullikin, James C. | Warren, Wesley C. | Eizirik, Eduardo | Kos, Lidia | O’Brien, Stephen J. | Barsh, Gregory S. | Menotti-Raymond, Marilyn
What Kitty Shares with Kings Although long-studied, the underlying basis of mammalian coat patterns remains unclear. By studying a large number of cat species and varieties, Kaelin et al. (p. 1536) identified two genes, Taqpep and Edn3 , as critical factors in the development of feline pigment patterns. Mutations in Taqpep are responsible for the blotched tabby pattern in domestic cats and the unusual coat of wild king cheetahs. Gene expression patterns in cat and cheetah skin suggest that Edn3 is a likely regulator of felid hair color. The findings support a common model for coat and pigment pattern formation in domestic and wild cats.
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