Cinnamon -- It's More Than A Spice

Views: 969
Added: Fri. Nov 02, 2007 11:25am
Posted in: Pets

• » print
• » report
• » email

There have been many amazing cats in my life. When I was little -- Missy, the Siamese who let me rub my face in her fur. As I got older, sisters Mischief and Tallie -- Mischief would "talk" to me for hours, or just listen if I needed to vent. Now, Travers and Laila brighten bad days by greeting me as I walk in the door.

But the most amazing cat to ever live may be Cinnamon, an Abyssinian from Missouri. Cinnamon just made scientific history, and may eventually lead to treatments for diseases in cats and humans.

Scientists have largely decoded Cinnamon's DNA, according to a new Associated Press report. She's not the first animal to undergo testing -- dogs, chimpanzees, rats and cows have all helped with major discoveries. But she is one of the most important. Cats get more than 200 diseases that resemble human illnesses. So, learning to treat feline diseases could be a big step in finding vaccines and treatments for everything from AIDS, SARS and diabetes to retinal disease and spina bifida.
The research identified 20,285 genes in Cinnamon. That's about 95 percent of her genome, or the complete DNA. The genome, in cats and people, spells out hereditary information -- scientists compare it to the way strings of letters spell out sentences.

Decoding a genome, or sequencing, is the process of identifying the order of the DNA building blocks. It's a lot of work, and scientists are still hoping to complete the final 5 percent of Cinnamon's DNA.
But how amazing would it be if the common house cat could help save lives?

Tell me about your favorite cats -- leave comments below or send me a private message!