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The Associated Press

NEW YORK - How does a tabby cat earn its stripes? With the right DNA.

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Researchers say theyve found the gene that determines the coat of the common tabby, either the so-called mackerel pattern with narrow stripes, top row, or the blotchy classic pattern, bottom row.

The Associated Press

Scientists say they've found the gene that sets the common tabby pattern -- stripes or blotches.

It's one of several genes that collaborate to create the distinctive design of a cat's coat, and it's the first of the pattern genes to be identified.

Cats with narrow stripes, the so-called "mackerel" pattern, have a working copy of the gene. But if a mutation turns the gene off, the cat ends up with the blotchy "classic" pattern, researchers reported online Thursday in the journal Science.

It's called "classic" because "cat lovers really like the blotched pattern," said one of the authors, Greg Barsh. He works at both Stanford University and the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala.

See the article here:
Scientists find gene behind the tabby coat

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