Handstanding Rabbits From the RORB Gene

The mutation in a gene was found to have made rabbits jump instead of hop because of the gene that helps coordinate their limbs. In general, rabbits walk on their front paws which is controlled by the RORB gene. This gene is tied to limb movement and allows rabits to hop. However, when this gene is defective, the hops transform into handstands and does not allow for the bunnies to naturally hop. Comparatively, there was a study that was found that mice also performed handstands when the gene was altered. This was found in rabbits as well as mice. This mechanism is called the duck gait and allows for the development of the spinal cord and allows researchers to actually learn more about how the spinal cord works in other animals and humans. The RORB gene allows for the hormonal response in which elements of several genes were to be expressed and to code for organogenesis and differentation which helps regulate the circadian rhythm and hindlimb motor control. The gene is also a huge part in numberous physiololgical processes which uses different types of internal receptors to form various pathways and neurons. This rabbits with the defective gene can usually walk normally. However, with the RORB gene, the rabbits have the mutation to use their front paws to move quickly and swiftly to do instantaneous handstands. The gene which affects the spinal cord may affect the rabbit as a whole because of the syncopated movements of the four limbs which may lead to diseases upon further research. 

A Gene Defect That Allow Bunnies To Do Handstands Instead of Hops

The article from Science News written by Erin Garcia de Jesus discusses the new study that suggests that a defective gene may turn some bunnies' hops into handstands. A type of rabbit called sauteur d'Alfort moves its legs back in the air and walks on its paws to move faster. This type of bunny isn't the only species to have adopted this trait if they inherit the mutation gene known as the RORB. Mice is the other type of species known to have the mutation in their genes to move while doing a handstand when they start to run. 

To further determine how this is possible, Miguel Carneiro from the University of Porto in Portugal and Leif Andersson at Uppsala University in Sweden and their colleagues bred a sauteur d'Alfort with a regular rabbit that can jump and they sequenced the genomes of the pair's 52 grandchildren. During their, they found that the baby rabbits that couldn't hop had a single mutation in both copies of a gene called RORB and also found that there were fewer neurons that expressed the RORB protein in their spinal cord which most likely interfered with the movement in their hind limbs. 

I didn't know there was such a gene that could allow certain species to do handstands instead of normal walking. I always find it interesting to read articles that provide knowledge about these genetic differences occurring in animals. 

Handstand Gene Defect in Rabbits

One breed of rabbits has been found to do handstands and walk on their front legs rather than hop. This may be a result to a mutation of the gene RORB, scientists have found. RORB is a gene connected to limb movement. This finding is truly fascinating to see and learning more about this study may also help researchers discover more about the spinal cord. 

The article describes one study where the hop-less rabbits are bred with rabbits that can hop. The researchers compared the offspring that could hop to those that could not. This is where the mutation of the RORB gene was found to be the likely culprit of the hand stands. However, more research needs to be completed to find how exactly this gene affects the coordination of limbs and why it causes handstands in rabbits and other animals. 

Sources: 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rabbit-handstand-front-paws-gene-defect-video

https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1009429