Gold Coat Color (Copper Variant)

Acronym:	COPPER
Gene:	CORIN
Mutation:	c.2425T>A
Inheritance:	Autosomal recessive
Sample type:	CHS (Cheek Swab), WBE (Whole Blood EDTA)

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Genetics and characteristics

Gold Coat Color is a modification of the tabby coat, a unique coat pattern found in domestic cats characterized by stripes, blotches, swirls, and spots. A few of those gold coat color modifications have been identified so far and almost all are breed-specific. Copper Variant has been described in British Shorthair cats and it is also known as akita, light or flaxen gold coat color. Cats with copper phenotype exhibit red mantle with marked ivory bellies and ivory spots on the uppersides of the paws with gold to red tone. This gold modification is caused by a single base pair change in the CORIN gene that encodes serine peptidase, an enzyme that acts as a suppressor of the agouti pathway. This mutation enlarges the yellow pheomelanin band of agouti hair and restricts dark eumelanin to the tip of the tail and hairs.

Copper coat color variant is inherited as autosomal recessive traits meaning both mutated CORIN genes are required for a cat to develop this golden modification. Cats that carry only one mutated gene will not exhibit a reddish cream-colored coat but will act as carriers and potentially pass the mutation to their offspring. Early genetic testing can identify carriers of the specific variant that causes ticked coat patterns and help breeders in the future selection of mating pairs.

 

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Results Reported As

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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References:

Abitbol, M., Dargar, T., Gache, V. (2022). Golden cats: A never-ending story!. Animal genetics, 53(5), 715–718. https://doi.org/10.1111/age.13228