Level 1 - Absolute Beginner

Two cat brothers had very long legs. Their names are Gary and Shaggy.

Doctors found problems in their eyes and in a big blood tube near the heart. Scientists tested their genes.

They found a gene problem. It is the same gene that is linked to Marfan syndrome in people. This is a first for cats.

cat

a small pet animal

gene

a tiny part of a cell that gives a body its instructions

heart

the body part that moves blood

eye

the part of the body used to see

doctor

a person who helps sick people

brother

a boy or male who has the same parents

test

to check something

limb

an arm or a leg

Level 2 - Elementary

Researchers at Cornell University report the first genetic proof of Marfan syndrome in cats. Their study appeared in the journal Scientific Reports on September 19.

The cats are two brothers named Gary and Shaggy. As kittens they had unusually long limbs. Later, vets found problems in their eyes and an enlarged aorta, the main blood vessel leaving the heart.

DNA tests showed changes in the FBN1 gene in both cats. This gene makes a protein called fibrillin 1. In people, one changed copy can cause Marfan syndrome. Each cat had two changed copies, one from each parent.

The change only partly stopped the gene from working, so some normal function stayed. That may be why the cats survived.

syndrome

a group of signs that appear together in an illness

aorta

the largest blood vessel in the body

enlarged

bigger than normal

protein

a substance that the body needs to build and repair itself

copy

one version of a gene

vet

a doctor for animals

kitten

a young cat

function

the job something does

Level 3 - Intermediate

Veterinary researchers at Cornell University have documented what they describe as the first molecular case of Marfan syndrome in domestic cats. The report was published in Scientific Reports on September 19, in work that also involved Ghent University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in New York.

The patients were two littermates, Gary and Shaggy. As kittens they had unusually long limbs, and later examinations found abnormalities in the structure of their eyes and an enlarged aorta, which led the vets to suspect Marfan syndrome.

Sequencing revealed altered copies of the FBN1 gene, which codes for fibrillin 1. In people a single altered copy can cause the disorder, but each cat carried two, inherited one from each parent.

The variant only partly disrupted how the gene's instructions were processed, leaving some normal function. Researchers believe that may explain why the animals lived, and why the cats could now help study the disease.

veterinary

related to the medical care of animals

molecular

at the level of molecules, such as genes

littermate

an animal born in the same litter

abnormality

something that is not normal

sequencing

reading the order of the letters in DNA

variant

a different form of a gene

disrupt

to interrupt or damage

inherit

to receive from a parent

Level 4 - Advanced

Veterinary scientists at Cornell University have reported what they say is the first molecularly confirmed case of Marfan syndrome in domestic cats, in a paper published on September 19 in Scientific Reports. Collaborators included Ghent University, the University of Pennsylvania and New York's Schwarzman Animal Medical Center.

The animals, two littermates named Gary and Shaggy, were notably long limbed as kittens. Subsequent examinations uncovered ocular abnormalities and a dilated aorta, a constellation of signs that prompted clinicians to suspect the connective tissue disorder familiar from human medicine.

Genetic sequencing identified altered copies of FBN1, the gene encoding fibrillin 1, in both cats. In humans a single mutant copy typically suffices to cause the condition, yet each cat harboured two, one inherited from each parent.

The variant only partially disrupted how the gene's instructions were spliced and processed, so residual protein function persisted, which may account for their survival. The authors suggest that such animals could eventually serve as naturally occurring models for studying the disease.

ocular

relating to the eyes

dilated

widened or enlarged

constellation

a group of related things appearing together

connective tissue

tissue that supports and holds body parts together

suffice

to be enough

harbour

to carry or contain

residual

remaining after the rest has gone

model

here, a subject used to study a disease