Cats with a ‘Salty Licorice’ Coat Color Stemming from Genetic Mutation

A new coat color pattern has emerged in cats across Finland, and scientists have identified the genetic mutation responsible.

The fur on the back of these cats is colored only at the base, close to the skin. Each hair gradually turns white towards the tip, and the tip of the tail is also usually white. Otherwise, the cats share a classic “tuxedo” pattern with a pure white neck, chest, belly, and paws, but patches of color may cover some of the white spots. he says. heidi anderson At Mars Petcare Science & Diagnostics in Helsinki.

Anderson and her colleagues named the new coat “salmiak” because its color is similar to the name of salted licorice, which is popular in Finland, she says.

People first noticed the unusual fur pattern (originally known as the “Finnish mutation”) in three cats in central Finland in 2007. In 2019, researchers at the University of Helsinki contacted Anderson, an expert in cat genetics. About another “Finnish mutant” cat.

The researchers worked together to search for more such cats across Finland through media releases, Anderson said. Her cat’s DNA tests came back negative for all genetic mutations already known to affect the white color of cats’ fur, so researchers decided to investigate further.

They analyzed the entire genomes of two cats and found mutations at chromosomal sites very close to the cat’s genes. kit This gene is associated with different gray hair patterns in many livestock species. “Large parts of the sequence were missing downstream. kit It’s genetic,” Anderson says.

The researchers then created a special test to confirm that the newly discovered variant was responsible for the fur pattern. When they tested a further 181 Finnish domestic cats, only three had salmiak coats, and each cat had inherited the mutation from both parents. Another girlfriend’s three cats inherited the mutation from one parent, and his remaining 175 cats did not have the mutation at all.

The discovery confirms that the research team has identified a recessive mutation that leads to salmiak fur, Anderson said. “These coats have evoked many compliments over the years,” she says. “It’s really interesting that we have a genetic explanation for this.”