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Mystery behind cats, zebra stripes to be
solved?
Saturday September 22, 2012 10:08:09 PM,
IANS
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London: With the help
of a newly-discovered animal gene, the US scientists appear to be
closer to unravel the mystery behind origin of cats' stripes.
The gene may explain how the common housecat comes to have a
blotchy or stripey tabby fur pattern. Scientists have found new
DNA evidence which begins to solve the mystery of coat patterns in
mammals.
The recently-found gene is one of several that collaborate to
create the distinctive design of a cat's coat, and it's the first
of the pattern genes to be identified, Daily Mail reported. The
discovery could also solve the mystery about fur markings on
cheetahs and zebras.
The scientists analysed the DNA of wild cats in northern
California, as well as that of captive and wild cheetahs. They
also looked at the DNA of a rare striped 'king cheetah' from South
Africa. The study led to a gene called Taqpep by the scientists.
Cats with narrow stripes, the so-called 'mackerel' pattern, have a
working copy of the gene. But if a mutation turns the gene off,
the cat ends up with the blotchy 'classic' pattern, researchers
said.
Scientists believe the same genes could give rise to stripes,
blotches and spots on many mammals including zebras and tigers.
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