Research by distinct groups at Stanford and Kyushu University has uncovered the genetic mechanism behind the orange coat coloration in house cats. Traditionally considered an anomaly in mammalian genetics, the orange hue is linked to a mutation on the X chromosome that activates the Arhgap36 gene, previously unassociated with pigmentation. This finding sheds light on decades of research, merging newfound understanding with established genetic principles and solidifying the cat's role in advancing genetic studies.
"These findings close decades' worth of investigations surrounding house cats with a ginger hueâa coat coloration that had been recognized for more than a century as kind of an exception to the genetic rules that explain coloration in most mammals."
"A tiny deletion in a cat's X chromosome increased the activity of a gene called Arhgap36, which scientists had never previously associated with pigmentation."
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