Tabby Pattern Genetics: A Whole New Breed of Cat

This study found that a young male Maine Coon cat with a tortoiseshell coat, which typically indicates unusual sex chromosomes, was fertile, carrying both XX and XY cell lines. The researchers recommend genetic testing for tri-colored male cats before breeding decisions.

This research observed that, in domestic cats like Maine Coon and Rex breeds, a "piebald" coat color pattern is likely influenced by the Silver locus, although the specific mutations involved are yet to be published.

In this study, researchers identified a gene expression pre-pattern and implicated the Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf 4 in the formation of color patterns in domestic cat embryos.

In this study, researchers found that the gene Dkk4 influences color pattern formation in domestic cat fetuses, and its mutation is linked to the Ticked pattern type.

This article discusses the impact of the tabby mutation on secondary vibrissae and hair follicle patterns in mice and reports no new clinical results.