Orange You Glad We Finally Figured Out Why Some Cats Are Ginger
Two separate research teams have detailed the answer in two studies published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. They've identified the precise genetic mutation in these cats that explains their orangeness—a mutation not seen in other animals with similar coloration.
Orange-furred cats are often referred to as gingers. And according to Chris Kaelin, lead author of one of the new studies, the same basic mechanism underlying red hair in humans applies to orange cats, too: their pigment cells switch from making eumelanin pigment (brown/black) to making pheomelanin pigment (red/orange). But scientists have known for a while that the genetic cause of orangeness in cats is very different from the one in humans and other mammals.
'What motivated us to study orange cats is that the trait is sex-linked (the mutation and the affected gene are on the X chromosome) and sex-linked pigmentation traits are not observed in other species,' Kaelin, a geneticist at Stanford University, told Gizmodo in an email. 'So, we recognized that orange cats provided an opportunity to learn something new and potentially insightful.'
The location of this mutation also explains why ginger cats tend to be male (males only possess one X chromosome). Previous studies have narrowed down the mutation's likely location on the X chromosome, but thanks to more comprehensive genomic data from a variety of cats, Kaelin's team and a separate research team from Japan were independently able to isolate the specific genetic quirk underpinning a cat's gingerosity.
'We used genetic approaches to pinpoint a mutation, a small deletion of sequence on the X chromosome, that causes orange color. All orange cats have this deletion, but non-orange cats do not,' Kaelin explained. 'The mutation is not located in a gene (the part of the genome that encodes for proteins). Instead, it's in what we call a non-coding region—the remaining 98% of the genome that does not code for proteins.'
According to Kaelin, the mutation activates a nearby gene called Arhgap36 so that it's expressed in pigment cells when it normally shouldn't be. The activation then blocks eumelanin pigment from being produced, causing pheomelanin to be made in its place by default. While genetic variants that trigger orangeness in other animals interact with this same pathway as well, the ginger cat mutation is stranger still because it disturbs a later step of this process. Interestingly, this marks the first time Arhgap36 has been linked to pigmentation.
'This type of mutation is very unusual,' Kaelin notes.
The team's discovery doesn't explain everything about why orange cats are the way they are. These felines are commonly depicted as especially dim or mischievous, to the point that they're said to possess a single brain cell that must be shared among all orange cats in the world. But the researchers found no evidence that their mutation causes any other changes, including those related to behavior or temperament.
'One of the key findings of our study is that we observe altered activity of the affected gene in pigment cells, but remarkably not in other cells or tissues including brain areas where the gene is normally expressed,' Kaelin said. 'This suggests that the mutation does not have broad effects.'
While the single brain cell theory will have to await more scientific inquiry, the researchers do think their work can lead to more insights. Simply figuring out how this deletion can activate Arhgap36 so precisely might open up a whole new bag of intriguing discoveries waiting to be explored further.
'We would like to understand how the deletion has such a remarkably specific effect on gene activity and we expect that answering this question will have broad implications about how mammalian genes are turned on and off in specific cell types,' Kaelin said.
So if you have an orange cat in your life, be sure to thank them for their contribution to science with some extra treats today.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
California clean energy push exemplified by Stanford professor's zero net energy home
Clean, renewable energy is powering California to levels never seen before, and a Stanford professor's home is the blueprint for the near future. Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the Golden State had reached a historic milestone. According to the latest data, in 2023, the state was powered by two-thirds clean energy. A leading climate scientist not only believes the state is heading in the right direction, but he also practices what he preaches. Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, lives in a two-story, 3,200 square-foot home with large picture windows that to any passerby might appear prohibitively expensive to heat and cool. But, it's not. "To run it, it costs nothing. I have not paid an electric bill in eight years," Jacobson said. Jacobson built from scratch what's called a "zero net energy house." It's all-electric with no gas on the property. The home generates as much energy as it consumes, and all the energy generated is clean and renewable, with no polluting fossil fuels. "My whole goal of my career has been to understand and solve large-scale air pollution and climate problems through clean renewable energy systems," Jacobson said. The house is a light steel frame structure with airtight insulation. On the roof are solar panels. In the garage, he installed a home battery system. "I'm generating my electricity with solar on the roof, and that solar generates during the day, peaks at about noon, and there's a lot of excess," Jacobson said. "I mean, I use a lot less energy than I produce, and so that energy first gets stored in batteries. And then that excess beyond that gets sent to the grid." As for California's electric grid, it's undergoing a major transition to clean, renewable sources. According to California ISO, since 2021, about 25,000 megawatts of renewables have been added to the supply. That's enough to power nearly a quarter-million homes. Jacobson's research shows that, so far this year, California has run on 100% wind, water, and solar for 164 of 209 days and for an average of 4.8 hours a day. "So, wind, water and solar this year has supplied 57.4% of all of California's electricity," added Jacobson. "And that's an increase from about 53% last year, and 48% the previous year." Those calculations, as well as Cal ISO's data, don't include private homes equipped with solar and battery systems. "These are sufficient to provide electricity for my home from solar for 24 hours a day for most of the year," said Jacobson, as he gestured to his garage Powerwall. Jacobson also drives electric vehicles. In addition, he uses energy-efficient electrical devices. "Electricity is the future for everything. It's much more efficient. It's cleaner and it's cheaper, and it does far less damage to the environment than gas or other types of fossil fuels," he said. Among his devices: an induction stove which uses 60% less energy than gas, and a heat pump that transfers heat between the indoors and outdoors. Jacobson's heat pump uses a ductless "mini split" model that uses 75% less energy than a gas heater because, as he explained, it doesn't create the heat. The pump simply moves it around. As for hot water, the home uses a heat pump electric water heater. The temperature was set at 129 degrees Fahrenheit. "It's got plenty of water for showers, and it reheats pretty rapidly," he said. Jacobson received a 30% federal tax credit and a state subsidy when he installed his system. He has generated about 120% of what he has used on average and sold the extra 20% back to the grid under the net metering program. He is also studying his home and collecting data to use in a class that he teaches. He has also published the data in a textbook with the goal of informing others about a combustion-free future.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Scientists Say Your Body Starts Aging Faster After 50—but Not All Parts at Once
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Aging doesn't occur uniformly throughout our lives, but accelerates during certain periods. A new study from scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found 48 disease-related proteins increase throughout the body at around the age of 50. This correlates with previous studies that found that human aging accelerated around the ages of 44 and the early 60s. As soon as we're born, we start aging, but scientists are quickly learning that not all aging is exactly the same. A new study, led by a team of scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and published in the journal Cell, details how humans experience accelerated aging after the the age of 50. The study identified that certain tissues (i.e. blood vessels) experience this aging faster than others, and the scientists also identified the proteins responsible for this accelerated process. 'Based on aging-associated protein changes, we developed tissue-specific proteomic age clocks and characterized organ-level aging trajectories,' the authors write. 'Temporal analysis revealed an aging inflection around age 50, with blood vessels being a tissue that ages early and is markedly susceptible to aging.' In the study, scientists collected tissue samples across the body's major organ systems from 76 individuals of Chinese ancestry—aged 14 to 68—who all died from accidental brain injury. The tissues showed that certain organs aged at different rates. The adrenal gland—one of the body's hormone factories—showed accelerated aging at around the age of 30, and also saw an increase in 48 disease-related proteins as tissue samples trended older. The scientists also spotted large changes in protein levels around the ages of 45 and 55. One of the biggest shifts was in the aorta, and scientists suspect that blood vessels carry these age-accelerating molecules throughout the body. This isn't the first study to surmise that aging isn't quite as linear as we once thought. Last year, a study from Stanford University similarly confirmed that humans largely experience a period of accelerated aging at around 44 and the early 60s, which Stanford University's Michael Snyder, a professor of genetics and the study's senior author, surmised at the time could be related to aging. Speaking with Nature about this new study, Snyder says that the findings largely align with his own scientific conclusions. 'It fits the idea that your hormonal and metabolic control are a big deal. That is where some of the most profound shifts occur as people age,' Snyder said. 'We're like a car. Some parts wear out faster.' Understanding what those parts are will help human mechanics (AKA doctors) to keep things under the hood running for longer. As scientists continue exploring the mechanics of aging, findings will likely converge and begin tell the story of how the body more generally experiences aging throughout a lifetime. 'Together, our findings lay the groundwork for a systems-level understanding of human aging through the lens of proteins,' the authors write. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Gizmodo
Potatoes Evolved From Tomatoes, Study Reveals
That's it. That's the news. Genome biologist Sanwen Huang knows a thing or two about potatoes. But his latest potato breakthrough may be his most shocking yet: potatoes are descended from tomatoes. In a Cell paper published today, Huang's team reports that the modern potato likely emerged about 9 million years ago, when tomato plants married the etuberosum, a potato-like species common to Chile. The origin of the modern potato has puzzled scientists for years, but the new results finally give plant genomists closure—while overturning a long-held belief that potatoes were solely descended from etuberosum. 'Yes, we revealed that the tomato is the mother of the potato,' Huang, a professor of agricultural genomics at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, confirmed to Gizmodo. Etuberosum, a type of wild potato, looks a lot like the potato you might find on a grocery shelf. But it lacks a key element of potato anatomy: the tuber—an extended structure of the stem or root that enables potatoes and their relatives to store nutrients and reproduce. Confusingly, however, genomic analyses suggested potatoes had much in common with tomatoes, Huang explained. This hinted to scientists that the trio—potatoes, tomatoes, and etuberosum—were related, but the link wasn't exactly clear. Until, that is, Huang's team had a wild idea and decided to run with it. What if tomatoes and potatoes really were family and not just linked by some random quirk of nature? To test their hypothesis, Huang and colleagues analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 other species of wild potatoes, constructing over 3,000 family trees to illustrate the genetic relationship between the modern potato, tomatoes, and the etuberosum. They found that 50.66% of these family trees listed tomatoes as a sister to petota, the group of wild potatoes with tubers. Next, they ran an extensive statistical analysis to compare the tree against genetic data. The team realized that the most salient scenario is that the potato is a hybrid of tomatoes and etuberosum, with the tomato contributing significantly more to the potato's genetic makeup. Most surprising of all was that the potato's key tuber-forming genes emerged as a combination of genetic material it received from each parent—despite the fact that neither tomato nor etuberosum has tubers. Specifically, tomatoes gave potatoes the gene that tells the plant to make tubers, whereas etuberosum passed on a gene that helps control the growth of tubers. This unique genetic pathway could lead to future agricultural innovations for breeding potatoes that don't develop harmful mutations, Huang added. But that's still in the works, and the potato expert hopes to explore this genetic relationship in more detail. 'Next time you eat potatoes, thank a tomato—the ancient, perhaps, mother of the potato,' Huang said. 'DNA proves they're family!'
