[Animals] They discover that domestic cats acquire their stripes in the womb

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The color and stripes of cats depend on how the fetus developed during pregnancy, a new study suggests.
It is estimated that the domestication of cats occurred about 10 thousand years ago. Due to the independent and hunting character that the species maintains, there are serious studies that suggest that the species domesticated itself. Since then, the brain of domestic felines has shrunk - as well as its other dimensions - due to the intimate contact they have had with humans over time.

Although there is ample record of the physiological changes that cats have undergone after domestication, little was known about how cats get their stripes. Although domestic tabby cats are some of the most common, genetic evidence was found for the first time to explain this coat pattern. This is what we know.

Also read: What the 5 most common gestures mean in the language of cats

A mutation that happens during pregnancy

To determine where cats get their stripes, a team of researchers took a skin sample from embryos. With it, scientists discovered that the genetic expression of the pattern in the coat depends on how the fetus develops in its mother's womb.

The embryonic cells were between 25 and 28 days old. Looking at the structures under the microscope, the researchers noticed that some areas on the skin were interleaved with thinner areas. Coincidentally, this pattern resembled the coloration of an adult tabby cat:

“EARLY IN DEVELOPMENT, WE IDENTIFIED STRIPE-LIKE ALTERATIONS IN EPIDERMAL THICKNESS PRECEDED BY A PRIOR PATTERN OF GENE EXPRESSION,” THE AUTHORS WRITE IN NATURE.

This condition is not limited to tabby cats. Rather, it extends to 'more intricate' color patterns, the researchers describe. That is to say: cat embryos acquire their spots, stripes and hair color during pregnancy.

According to the scientists, this gene expression depends on the Wnt inhibitor. Although this genetic mutation disrupts the animal's color patterns, it does not actually affect its organs, muscles, or vital systems.

Just as the stripes of domestic cats appear in the process of gestation, the authors think this evidence also sheds light on how leopards acquire their spots. Therefore, it is likely that this genetic phenomenon is repeated in the embryos of other feline species.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/por-que-los-gatos-tienen-rayas/