In 2007, three kittens were found in Finland with an unprecedented type of coat: the cats seemed to have lost part of the color of their black fur.
These cats have a coloring similar to a “tuxedo” - black and white, with an additional gradation of color in the hairs of the colored areas, which results in a coat with a colored base and white tips.
Since they were first observed, cats with this color pattern are still rare in Finland. Only cats without pedigrees are known to have this coat pattern.
In a new study, published this month in Animal Genetics, scientists have discovered the genetic basis of these cats, and have dubbed the phenotype “salmiak”, due to its similarity in color to the salty variety of licorice common in Finland, and sought to discover its genetic origin.
According to New Scientist, the team first tried to search the cats' DNA for the variants that affect their white coat color. However, the researchers did not find these mutations anywhere in the genome of these cats.
Despite this, the researchers didn't give up and launched a public appeal in search of more licorice cats to analyze. This time, they focused on investigating the KIT gene, variants of which are associated with different white coat patterns in many animals.
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After sequencing the complete genome in two cats, the team once again found no major variants in the gene. However, there was a mutation in a gene adjacent to it. Discovered in both cats tested, the mutation could influence the expression of KIT and consequently lead to the characteristic coat pattern.
To confirm this hypothesis, the researchers tested another group of domestic cats, some of which had the salmiak phenotype.
These Salmiak cats were found to have two copies of the mutation, while three other non-Salmiak cats had one copy. The remaining non-salmiak cats had no copies.
This not only helped confirm that the mutation the team identified was probably responsible for the distinctive coat color, but that it is also recessive. This means that for a cat to be liqueur-colored, both parents must have at least one copy of the variant.
“The discovery of the salmiak variant enriches our understanding of the genetics of feline coat color. But that's not all,” said study author Heidi Anderson in a publication.
“This knowledge could also be valuable for breeding efforts, potentially contributing to the preservation of this trait in our feline companions,” Anderson concludes.
