LilBUBome

We have only sequenced a genomic region called the ZRS (0.00023% of BUB's genome). But the sequencing of this small part has revealed that LilBUB has a specific mutation there which explains why she has polydactyly.

The cool thing is that this mutation is exactly the same that Ernest Hemingway´s cat had, suggesting that they are (distant) relatives!!!

we are the secret infiltrators from that planet trying to make you accustomed to our procedures and traditions. but don't tell anyone

Thanks so much - we're glad you like the project. We're not planning to sequence any more special animals ourselves. LilBUB is really a labour of love for us, and we'd find it difficult to find another project that's quite so amazing. We're planning to share the data, though. This way other scientists can also access the information and maybe find stuff we missed. - uschi

Yes, you are right, to prove the relatedness we would need to look at the shared haplotype. We can, however, assume that they might be related: our interpretation was primarily based on the original paper describing the Hemingway mutation, where it was shown that polydactyl cats on the East coast all share the same mutation and that this is different from the mutations found in the UK. But even beyond the question of relatedness, it's possible that BUB has an additional mutation somewhere, which amplifies the polydactyl phenotype. She has additional digits on ALL paws, whereas Hemingway cats are typically only polydactyl on 2. We hope we can answer this with the whole genome sequencing.

Thanks!!! We would really like to share the data with the world so people can also have a look at it and help us to find the mutation(s). Any relevant finding will be of course reported on our blog as soon as we find it and eventually published as "open access"

After all, this project has been built with the help of the people so it must be accessible to everyone.

If we get more money than initially thought, we would like to use exceedings to help the 99catlives initiative headed by Prof. Leslie Lyons from the University of Michigan. Here we would sequence cats with with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a inherited disease in several cat breeds.