Calico Cats
Calico Cats - Related Videos
10:50
Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI
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Cited by 6 •
2014
Functional studies of the auditory system in mammals have traditionally been conducted using spatially-focused techniques such as electrophysiological recordings. The following protocol describes a method of visualizing large-scale patterns of evoked hemodynamic activity in the cat auditory cortex using functional magnetic resonance imaging.
06:32
Operating Procedures of the Electrochemotherapy for Treatment of Tumor in Dogs and Cats
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Cited by 45 •
2016
Electrochemotherapy is the local treatment of solid tumors. The main mechanism is electroporation-mediated permeabilization of the tumor cells' membrane which enables increased internalization of cytostatics like bleomycin and cisplatin. Thus, antitumor effectiveness is potentiated at the site of the application of electric pulses to the tumors.
09:43
Reversible Cooling-induced Deactivations to Study Cortical Contributions to Obstacle Memory in the Walking Cat
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Cited by 3 •
2017
Complex locomotion in naturalistic environments requiring careful coordination of the limbs involves regions of the parietal cortex. The following protocol describes the use of reversible cooling-induced deactivation to demonstrate the role of parietal area 5 in memory-guided obstacle avoidance in the walking cat.
01:58
X-Inactivation
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2019
The human X chromosome contains over ten times the number of genes as in the Y chromosome. Since males have only one X chromosome, and females have two, one might expect females to produce twice as many of the proteins, with undesirable results. Instead, in order to avoid this potential issue, female mammalian cells inactivate nearly all the genes in one of their X chromosomes during early embryonic development. In the nuclear envelope surrounding the cell nucleus, the inactivated X chromosome...
10:35
An Orthotopic Model of Serous Ovarian Cancer in Immunocompetent Mice for in vivo Tumor Imaging and Monitoring of Tumor Immune Responses
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Cited by 18 •
2010
To study in vivo tumor growth and tumor microenvironment, we used a syngeneic and orthotopic mouse model of ovarian cancer in immunocompetent animals. We transduced a mouse tumor cell line (MOV1) with Katushka fluorescent protein (MOV1KAT) and here we show its orthotopic implantation in ovary and in vivo imaging.
FAQs
Patch formation begins when different pigment-producing cells randomly inactivate one of their X chromosomes early in development. Cells retaining the orange-associated allele produce one color, while neighboring cells retaining the black-associated allele produce another. As these cells develop and contribute to the coat, their descendants preserve localized expression patterns, producing visibly distinct regions rather than a uniform blend.
Typical female cats carry two X chromosomes, allowing different pigment alleles to be expressed in different cell populations after random X-chromosome inactivation. Typical male cats have one X chromosome, so they generally do not possess the two X-linked color variants needed for the mosaic pattern. This makes the coat a visible example of sex-linked inheritance.
White areas arise through a genetic mechanism separate from the orange and black color variants. White-spotting genes produce regions where pigment is absent, interrupting the colored pattern with unpigmented areas. Consequently, the final appearance reflects two genetic influences: X-linked differences determine the orange and black regions, while white-spotting genes determine where color is missing.
A rare male calico can result when a male cat carries an additional X chromosome, giving him the two X-linked copies needed for different pigment alleles to occur in the same individual. Random X-chromosome inactivation can then create cellular color differences. This chromosome pattern explains why male calicos are unusual rather than the typical outcome.
Researchers can compare visible coat patches with the activity of pigment-related alleles in different cell populations. Because random X-chromosome inactivation occurs early in development, the resulting mosaic pattern links an early cellular event to a later physical trait. Calico coats therefore provide an accessible model for examining how gene expression differs among developing cells.
Their coat pattern connects chromosome composition with an observable inheritance-related outcome. Orange and black color variants are associated with alleles on the X chromosome, so the presence of two X chromosomes permits cellular differences in allele expression. Studying these cats helps illustrate how sex-linked genes, chromosome behavior, and phenotype can be related within one organism.