Latest news with #KyushuUniversity
17 hours ago
- Health
Documents of 1945 U.S. POW Vivisection Incident on Exhibit
Tokyo, June 3 (Jiji Press)--Documents related to a 1945 U.S. prisoner-of-war vivisection incident are on exhibit until June 22 at the medical history museum of Kyushu University in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka, in hopes of promoting medical and peace education by sharing lessons from the past. In the incident, eight captured U.S. soldiers died after undergoing experimental surgeries at Kyushu Imperial University, the predecessor of Kyushu University, in the late stages of World War II. Doctor Toshio Tono, who witnessed the surgeries as a medical student at the time, collected related documents before he died at the age of 95 in 2021. His family donated about 30 of the documents to the university in 2024, and some of the donated documents are now on display. The documents include a floor plan of a school building in which the location of the anatomy laboratory where the surgeries were conducted is written by hand, as well as a copy of a suicide note left by a surgeon involved in the incident who committed suicide after being arrested. After the war ended, Tono was questioned by the WWII Allies as a witness to the incident. He also testified at the trials of those involved. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Team: Gene Decides Calico Cat Color Patterns
Courtesy of Hiroyuki Sasaki / Jiji Press A calico cat and Prof. Hiroyuki Sasaki TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A Japanese research team led by Kyushu University Prof. Hiroyuki Sasaki said it has discovered a gene that determines the color patterns of the tricolored calico cat, known in Japan as 'mike neko.' The team found that the coloring was decided by the ARHGAP36 gene on the X chromosome. The orange coloration reflects a missing portion of this gene, while the black fur color is due to the absence of such a deletion, the team said. The team's findings were published in the online edition of the U.S. journal Current Biology on May 15. It was established some 120 years ago that almost all calico cats are female and that the color-deciding factor was in the X chromosomes. About 60 years later, researchers discovered that one of the two X chromosomes is inactivate in calico cats. But the gene responsible for the distinct coloration long remained unidentified. 'As a dog and cat lover, I couldn't let this long-standing mystery go unsolved,' Sasaki said. He said that some of the team's research costs were obtained through crowdfunding between 2022 and 2023, raising over ¥10 million from 600 people. 'I think that there is no doubt (that ARHGAP36 is behind the coloration) as a research team from Stanford University in the United States also identified the same gene and is announcing it at the same time as us,' he said. Sasaki's team, which includes members from Kyushu University, the National Institute of Genetics, Azabu University and Kindai University, extracted and analyzed DNA from cats of many different colors, with the help from an animal hospital in Fukuoka in the Kyushu southwestern region. The team also examined data on cat DNA made available by the University of Missouri before discovering the ARHGAP36 gene. The team said that a deletion of about 5,000 base pairs of the ARHGAP36 gene on the active one of the X chromosomes results in the production of pheomelanin, which is orange in color, while the gene without such a deletion creates the black pigment eumelanin. Courtesy of Hiroyuki Sasaki / Jiji Press A calico cat, left, and a tortoiseshell cat are seen in this combination photo. Like calico cats, tortoiseshell cats, or 'sabi neko,' are mostly female. Tortoiseshell cats also share the same coloring phenomenon. Orange cats are mainly male, possessing one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Their orange coloration, too, is due to the ARHGAP36 gene deletion on the X chromosome. The rare male calico cats have one extra chromosome, possessing two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome. The white coloration in cats, however, is not the ARHGAP36 gene's doings but is caused by a different gene. Domestic cats are descendants of the African wildcat that were domesticated by about 10,000 years ago. Similar to a brown tabby cat, the African wildcat has brown-black striped fur. The team suggested that it may be able to pinpoint when the ARHGAP36 gene deletion happened by assessing mummies and pictures of ancient cats.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Orange Cats Have Long Been a Genetic Mystery. Scientists Have Finally Solved It
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: The gene that causes orange coloration in cats had been pondered for years, but never actually found—until now. Cats with orange coats get them from a deletion (meaning a missing segment) mutation in the noncoding region of a gene associated with both neuroendocrine tissues and pigmentation. There are more male orange cats than females because this gene is located on the X-chromosome, which males only have one copy of. Females are more likely to be tortoiseshell or calico because they have two X chromosomes, and therefore have more genetic coat color options to 'choose' from. Garfield might be the most iconic orange tabby around, but Hollywood has seen quite a few leading cats of the same color—Heathcliff, Oliver, Hiyao Miyazaki's adorably terrifying Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, and Morris from those retro cat food commercials all come to mind. Like most celebrities, they have so far refused to give up their most guarded beauty secret—how did they get those fabulous golden auburn coats? Hiroyuki Sasaki—a cat enthusiast and geneticist at Kyushu University in Japan—was determined to identify the elusive gene that carries the orange mutation in Felis silvestris catus (the domesticated cat). He and his research team analyzed DNA in skin tissue from cats with and without orange fur, and found a mutation to the ARHGAP36 gene. This was a type of deletion mutation, meaning that a segment of a gene is missing. In orange cats, the missing segment is located on an intron, or noncoding region, of the ARHGAP36 gene, which is also in neuroendocrine tissues (especially the hypothalamus), adrenal glands, and pituitary glands. The location of the mutation on this particular gene also explains why there are so many more male orange cats than female ones. ARHGAP36 is known as X-linked, meaning that it is located on the X chromosome. In female cats (and all female mammals), one of the two X chromosomes in each cell is randomly switched off in a process known as X chromosome inactivation, so even if the mutation is present, it is unlikely that it will be expressed by every cell and appear as an even (or even semi-even) orange coat. To be orange, a female cat must have the orange gene on both X chromosomes, so no matter which one is deleted, the orange gene still dominates. Male cats, on the other hand, only have one X chromosome, and are therefore much more likely to evenly express that mutation. Whether orange or not, all fur pigmentation genes are X-linked. Calico and tortoiseshell coats also come from different combinations of activated X chromosomes—both with and without the deletion that results in orange—which explains why most of them are female. For this to happen to a male cat, there would have to be two X chromosomes present next to the Y chromosome in order for random inactivation to result in mottled fur. Sasaki and his team found that ARHGAP36 was most active in melanocytes (cells in the skin which produce pigment) found in the orange patches of calicos and tortoiseshells. Genes promoting melanogenesis, or the production of melanin in melanocytes, suppress ARHGAP36 and are upregulated in brown, black, and gray patches. These colors are associated with the black or brown pigment known as eumelanin, which is also the most common form of melanin. Sasaki believes that when a mutated ARHGAP36 is expressed as orange fur in cats, the missing part of the gene would have suppressed orange coloration had it been present. In cats, mutated ARHGAP36 was shown to suppress other genes involved in the production of eumelanin so that it could instead produce a different type of melanin called pheomelanin, which is the reddish-yellow pigment in orange fur. Found only in mammals and birds, pheomelanin is also behind red hair in humans and flashy red feathers in some bird species. It seems that high ARHGAP36 activity is, in general, associated with reduced activity in genes involved with the production of eumelanin. Sasaki is convinced that this gene's takeover may somehow shift pigment production to pheomelanin instead—though, how exactly it pulls this off is still unknown. And because ARHGAP36 also has significant importance in the brain, there is even speculation as to whether there are true associations between fur color and personality (the confirmation of which could either prove or silence all the orange cat memes out there). 'Although it is not fully understood how the identified deletion switches the pigment species, the variation likely dominates the cat population with orange coat color,' the researchers wrote. Somewhere, Garfield is smugly beaming next to a tray of lasagna. You Might Also Like 70 Impressive Tiny Houses That Maximize Function and Style 30+ Paint Colors That Will Instantly Transform Your Kitchen
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Science
- Indian Express
The mystery of orange cats decoded — with some help from cat parents
Anyone who has been called a 'crazy cat lady' or asked why they like animals that 'don't even show affection' now stands vindicated. Thanks to ailurophiles, a few weeks ago, science catwalked three steps ahead. Recent research by teams at Stanford University in the US and Japan's Kyushu University has found what gives orange cats their distinct colour — with the help of cat owners. Despite knowing for over a century that the inheritance of the ginger colour in Felis catus is different from other mammals, cracking the code has not been easy because cats have been characteristically uncooperative, refusing to let researchers stick a cotton swab in their mouths to retrieve samples. As anyone with a cat will attest, it is nearly impossible to make the rebels of the animal kingdom do anything they don't want to. So researchers enlisted the help of the pets' human guardians. Their cooperation has helped uncover what makes Garfield and his fellow gingers possible: A small piece of missing DNA near the gene ARHGAP36. This unique mutation could hold the key to how mutations work in general, potentially deepening the understanding of genetic disorders in humans. These studies have also made apparent the value of engaging with the public in the pursuit of scientific progress . Studies on cats have taken science far — a previous study found them to have 'perfect' genetic form, staying true to the ancestral animal despite centuries of breeding. That an active collaboration between science and society was made possible because of the affection cats share with their humans ought to shut down any debate on the subject. To all those who ask, 'Why cats?', the answer is now clear: For science.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Orange Cats Have Long Been a Genetic Mystery. Scientists Have Finally Solved It.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: The gene that causes orange coloration in cats had been pondered for years, but never actually found—until now. Cats with orange coats get them from a deletion (meaning a missing segment) mutation in the noncoding region of a gene associated with both neuroendocrine tissues and pigmentation. There are more male orange cats than females because this gene is located on the X-chromosome, which males only have one copy of. Females are more likely to be tortoiseshell or calico because they have two X chromosomes, and therefore have more genetic coat color options to 'choose' from. Garfield might be the most iconic orange tabby around, but Hollywood has seen quite a few leading cats of the same color—Heathcliff, Oliver, Hiyao Miyazaki's adorably terrifying Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, and Morris from those retro cat food commercials all come to mind. Like most celebrities, they have so far refused to give up their most guarded beauty secret—how did they get those fabulous golden auburn coats? Hiroyuki Sasaki—a cat enthusiast and geneticist at Kyushu University in Japan—was determined to identify the elusive gene that carries the orange mutation in Felis silvestris catus (the domesticated cat). He and his research team analyzed DNA in skin tissue from cats with and without orange fur, and found a mutation to the ARHGAP36 gene. This was a type of deletion mutation, meaning that a segment of a gene is missing. In orange cats, the missing segment is located on an intron, or noncoding region, of the ARHGAP36 gene, which is also in neuroendocrine tissues (especially the hypothalamus), adrenal glands, and pituitary glands. The location of the mutation on this particular gene also explains why there are so many more male orange cats than female ones. ARHGAP36 is what's called X-linked, meaning that it is located on the X chromosome. In female cats (and all female mammals), one of the two X chromosomes in each cell is randomly switched off in a process known as X chromosome inactivation, so even if the mutation is present, there's a fairly small chance it will be expressed by every cell and present as an even (or even semi-even) orange coat. To be orange, a female cat must have the orange gene on both X chromosomes, so no matter which one is deleted, the orange gene still dominates. Male cats, on the other hand, only have one X chromosome, and are therefore much more likely to evenly express that mutation. Whether orange or not, all fur pigmentation genes are X-linked. Calico and tortoiseshell coats also come from different combinations of activated X chromosomes—both with and without the deletion that results in orange—which explains why most of them are female. For this to happen to a male cat, there would have to be two X chromosomes present next to the Y chromosome in order for random inactivation to result in mottled fur. Sasaki and his team found that ARHGAP36 was most active in melanocytes (cells in the skin which produce pigment) found in the orange patches of calicos and tortoiseshells. Genes promoting melanogenesis, or the production of melanin in melanocytes, suppress ARHGAP36 and are upregulated in brown, black, and gray patches. These colors are associated with the black or brown pigment known as eumelanin, which is also the most common form of melanin. Sasaki believes that when a mutated ARHGAP36 is expressed as orange fur in cats, the missing part of the gene would have suppressed orange coloration had it been present. In cats, mutated ARHGAP36 was shown to suppress other genes involved in the production of eumelanin so that it could instead produce a different type of melanin called pheomelanin, which is the reddish-yellow pigment in orange fur. Found only in mammals and birds, pheomelanin is also behind red hair in humans and flashy red feathers in some bird species. It seems that high ARHGAP36 activity is, in general, associated with reduced activity in genes involved with the production of eumelanin. Sasaki is convinced that this gene's takeover may somehow shift pigment production to pheomelanin instead—though, how exactly it pulls this off is still unknown. And because ARHGAP36 also has significant importance in the brain, there is even speculation as to whether there are true associations between fur color and personality (the confirmation of which could either prove or silence all the orange cat memes out there). 'Although it is not fully understood how the identified deletion switches the pigment species, the variation likely dominates the cat population with orange coat color,' the researchers wrote. Somewhere, Garfield is smugly beaming next to a tray of lasagna. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
