To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The results of the decoding of a domestic cat’s genome by a group of Japanese researchers have been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most accurate reference genome for cats, according to pet insurer Anicom Insurance Inc.
The researchers from Anicom Specialty Medical Institute Inc., the National Institute of Genetics and Kazusa DNA Research Institute decoded the genome of American Shorthair cats and published the results in an article last October.
The number of decoded genes was 21,272, which is 1,685 more than in the Abyssinian cats used so far.
Using this genetic information, Anicom Specialty Medical Institute, Osaka Metropolitan University and Tokiwa-Bio Inc. have produced high-quality induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells of cats, which are expected to be useful for clarifying genetic diseases, developing treatments for them and research on regenerative medicine.
Researchers, including Shingo Hatoya, a professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, also collected sperm and eggs from cat testes and ovaries removed for contraception, producing fertilized eggs in an experimental container to create embryonic stem cells.
ES cells will be used as a standard for evaluating the quality of iPS cells made by introducing a group of genes into cells such as skin cells. In the future, they could be used for research to produce sperm and eggs and reproduce endangered felines.
