Today, weāre decoding one of the mysteries of genetics that relates to your Basepaws DNA report of results. It's called epistasis. When epistasis occurs, the observable expression (phenotype) of a geneāsuch as one responsible for the color of your kitty's coatāgets modified in some way by a completely different gene that has the ability to mask, suppress, or inhibit how that coat color gene is expressed. Epistasis helps explain why sometimes you may get a ālikely to haveā result for a genetic trait in your catās Basepaws report that doesnāt quite match up with their physical appearance.
From time to time, we update the Basepaws digital report of results for ourĀ Breed + Health Cat DNA Test. Today, weād like to take a moment to share some details about two recent changes to our reportāone for a genetic health marker linked to the common cat heart conditionĀ hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and one for a genetic trait marker associated with theĀ Siamese colorpoint coat pattern.
Too many pet parents have known the heartbreaking loss of a beloved pet to cancer. As part of our commitment to helping all pets live healthier, happier, and longer lives, Basepaws is studying the genetic and oral microbiome factors associated with certain types of cancer. We welcome your participation in this research, which could inform the development of new screening tests for earlier detection of cancer in pets.