guest publish by Ingrid R. Niesman, MS PhD
“The dark equine wins the race”. “Our hero strides forth on a shiny white steed”. Humans have long been mystified over animal behaviors as well as coloration. Albinos have been additionally feared or revered. Black cats summon up dark arts imagery. however is there truly a connection between a cat’s fur as well as their habits or is this just superstition? My research study is aimed at unraveling at least a little part of this withstanding mystery.
Is there a connection between coat color as well as behavior?
Previous research study published in 2015* seems to suggest that owners report more aggressive behaviors from orange female (tortoiseshells, calicos, as well as “torbies”), black-and-white, as well as gray-and-white cats cats at house as well as during vet visits. however statistical analysis as well as included data from vet gos to discovers no differences in aggressive habits because of coat color. In rodents, however, scientists have discovered that agouti mice screen increased stress-induced weight loss as well as display symptoms of acute fearfulness complying with stress triggered by physical restraints compared to typical mice.** My personal rate of interest in the connection between looks as well as habits stems from my long co-habitation with generations of Siamese cats.
My like of Siamese cats
I like Siamese cats. My household had two as we grew up. I embraced my very first female right out of college as well as she ended up being my constant buddy as well as source of joy. She did have a strange habit of eating wool hiking socks as well as sweaters. It wasn’t up until I embraced one of my two present boys that this habits increased to more than an amusement. eating non-foods is a syndrome called pica. Within the Siamese breed, there has been significant documentation as well as some scientific reports on this unusual habit.
My kitten ate two pipe-cleaners, then a big elastic bow that needed emergency surgery. He can ruin the most difficult dog chewies in a matter of hours. As a scientist, this piqued my curiosity. Why Siamese as well as Siamese-derived breeds? might there be a genetic link, like the overexpressed agouti gene in mice, altering typical behavior?
The science behind skin coloration
Skin coloration is a extremely saved system throughout the animal kingdom. Humans tan in response to UV light. The darkening is triggered by production of melanin. lack of an capability to produce skin melanin results in albinos- all light or all white animals. One key protein that is needed to produce melanin is called tyrosinase. When the genetic code for a typical protein is changed, something scientists term mutated, the method a protein folds into its unique shape is disrupted. This can cause the protein to malfunction. For Siamese cats, the tyrosinase gene has a single modified amino acid about half method into the protein. This little modification has a profound impact on the action of this protein. Siamese tyrosinase only functions below typical feline temperatures, which produces the gorgeous color-pointed appearance we partner with our lovely furbabies.
Skin color as well as behavior
Now, let’s tie this all together. What does a mutated tyrosinase gene have to do with Siamese behavior? Besides the well-described function in melanin production, tyrosinase is extremely great at multi-tasking. In specific brain cells, tyrosinase is likewise a key protein in the generation of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. areas of either human or feline brains that utilize dopamine are connected with stress and anxiety as well as obsessive compulsive disorders when this neurotransmitter’s levels are imbalanced.
In a Siamese cat, dopamine-requiring neurons will have to depend on an alternate backup pathway. Under perfect feline conditions, a Siamese can preserve a balanced amount of dopamine utilizing the backup pathway. However, when these cats are stressed, either chronically, as in a shelter environment, or acutely, as in a vet visit, their neurons may be incapable of increasing dopamine to compensate for the added stress.
My present research study is revolving around modeling the Siamese-specific tyrosinase mutation in cells to figure out three important findings. The first, what is the actual molecular basis for tyrosinase to work at lower temperatures, however not at typical feline temperatures. Two, does the mutated tyrosinase protein fold into a typical shape. as well as three, do Siamese feline neurons have typical or reduced levels of dopamine in neurons complying with stress.
Goals of my research
My long-lasting goal is to discover either prospective medication interventions to keep Siamese cats calmer as well as more social in shelters to boost their adoptability, or work with feline behaviorists to utilize my info to devise adjustments to keep dopamine levels high in Sianullnull