[CAT] "Cats Are Finally Getting Geneticists’ Attention"

[rfmcdonald]

D-Brief's Carl Engelking notes the beginning of a project at the University of Missouri to map the cat genome.

In 2007, the first cat genome sequenced was that of an Abyssinian named Cinnamon. However, errors and gaps in the data stalled efforts to map genes, and the complete, high-resolution genome wasn’t published until 2014. Cinnamon’s genome taught us that domestic cats aren’t vastly different than their wild counterparts, despite 9,000 years of domestication.

Dogs have been the clear favorite of geneticists because they suffer from many of the same ailments as humans and their intensive inbreeding makes it easy to spot gene variations. Further, according to Nature, dogs also benefit from a bloc of enthusiastic breeders, veterinarians and owners who make recruiting easy for dog geneticists.

To balance the scales, geneticist Leslie Lyons of the University of Missouri launched the 99 Lives initiative. Its goals are simple: to expand coverage of the cat genome, improve the quality of data and identify genetic variations behind specific feline diseases.

But humans could also be beneficiaries of the research. According to Nature, “Cat versions of type 2 diabetes, asthma, retinal atrophy and numerous other conditions have close similarities to human disease. Cats can also become infected with a virus that is closely related to HIV and experience symptoms similar to those of people with AIDS.”

To date, Lyons’ team has sequenced the genomes of 56 cats at a cost of roughly $7,500 apiece. Funding for the research has been raised through donations from breeders and private owners alike. Currently, her team is studying the genetic basis of feline dwarfism and the genes that give cats silver or gold coats, to name a few.