For a long time we have known that the way in which the orange color is expressed in cats is functionally different than in any other mammals. The production of eumelanin and pheomelanin are the dictators of what the color of the cat will be. Pheomelanin in mammals is the compound that produces that orange color that people love. If a melanocyte-stimulating hormone is released, then the melanocytes start producing eumelanin, if there is an antagonist protein, the eumelanin production will stop, and the melanocytes will instead produce pheomelanin. In cats, the production of the kind of melanin is not controlled by the same receptor (MC1R), instead it is in charge of the O or o locus. The O locus is located in the X chromosome, meaning that a female cat can have different variants of the O locus in each chromosome, leading to the multicolored calicos that people love. This means in turn, that the males only need to receive one copy of the pheomelanin producing locus (O) to be completely ginger. Some studies also say that orange male cats are more affectionate while orange females are more aggressive and cautious (they also say that redheaded women have lower tolerance for pain). At the end of the day, it is the Arhgap36 gene that blocks the production of eumelanin to start the production of pheomelanin, which was not previously known before.
Science that exists for the sake of being science and curiosity is my favorite kind. Research should be about exploration, with the added bonus of human advancement, not the other way. Studies like this show a deep care for the natural world that surrounds us, and it is a love letter to the science that people fall in love with as they grow. I’m not a cat person, but it is the love of scientists for their interests such as these that makes me want to like them. Wonderful research.
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-geneticists-mystery-garfield-orange-coat.html
I do think this is very interesting research as well, especially as a cat owner. I've always taken an interest in the genetics of hair color in general, and the fact that it is sex linked in this case is even more intriguing. However, I think it is also important when considering personality traits of both animals and humans to consider environmental influences as well. As a cat owner, I've found that the personalities of my cats tend to be influenced mainly by their life experiences. A cat generally will be more affectionate towards humans the longer and the earlier in life they started interacting with them. Also, I've heard them say redheaded women have a lower tolerance of pain before, and as a redheaded woman myself I don't think that idea is very accurate.
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting that something as simple as a cat’s coat color can show so much about genetics and biology. The connection between the O locus on the X chromosome and calicos is fascinating. Also, the idea that orange male cats might be more affectionate while females are more cautious seems to be true in my experience. I also think that curiosity-driven research like this is what makes science so intriguing to learn.
ReplyDeleteI found this post interesting, for I have always heard that there are more orange males than orange female cats and have not ever looked into the reason why. Learning that the orange fur color is X-linked makes a lot of sense, for females need two copies for an orange phenotype, whereas males only need one. As a cat owner, I loved your discussion and your idea that we should turn our interests into research, very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI have am a pet owner myself and have both an orange cat and a calico cat! So I find this research to be very interesting. I am also interested in hearing whether or not their personalities are influenced by the same gene because both of my cats fit their stereotype perfectly. I also have fostered kittens and seen a male calico and a female orange cat which are incredibly rare so it is very interesting to understand why.
ReplyDeleteHow cool. I work in the animal field and foster many cats. Some of the coat colors I have seen are truly astonishing. I have seen both female and male orange cats, and now after reading this it gave me more information on why they have that color. I would be interested to see research like this for some of the other cat color variations out there.
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