Created at the VGL Brown (Chocolate and Cinnamon)

Quick Summary

Cats with brown gene variants have reduced amounts of black pigment and appear brownish in color. 

Cinnamon-colored British Shorthair and chocolate-colored Havana Brown
British Shorthair with cinnamon coat color (left); Havana Brown with chocolate coat color (right)

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Phenotype: Cats with brown gene variants have reduced eumelanin (black pigment) and appear brownish in color.

Mode of Inheritance: Autosomal recessive (order of dominance is B > b > bl)

Alleles: B = Wild-type black, b= Brown (chocolate), bl = Light brown (cinnamon)

Breeds appropriate for testing: Many breeds

Explanation of Results:

  • Cats with B/B genotype will be full-colored and will not display chocolate or cinnamon coloration. They cannot produce chocolate or cinnamon offspring and cannot transmit these chocolate or cinnamon variants to any of their offspring.
  • Cats with B/b genotype will be full-colored and are carriers of chocolate. They will transmit this chocolate variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings between two carriers of chocolate are predicted to produce 25% chocolate kittens.
  • Cats with B/bl genotype will be full-colored and are carriers of cinnamon. They will transmit this cinnamon variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings between two carriers of cinnamon are predicted to produce 25% cinnamon kittens.
  • Cats with b/b genotype will be chocolate and will transmit this chocolate variant to all of their offspring.
  • Cats with b/bl genotype will be chocolate and are carriers of cinnamon. They will transmit this cinnamon variant to 50% of their offspring. Matings between two carriers of cinnamon are predicted to produce 25% cinnamon kittens.
  • Cats with bl/bl genotype will be cinnamon and will transmit this cinnamon variant to all of their offspring.

Note: Overall appearance of the cat's coat also depends on expression of and complex interactions with other genes.

Turnaround Time
At least 15 business days; may be delayed beyond 15 business days if sample requires additional testing, or a new sample is requested.
Price

$44 one test per animal

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Sample Collection:

Cat DNA tests are carried out using cells collected from your cat's cheeks and gums using household cotton swabs.

The cat DNA submission form with instructions, pricing, and a place to tape the cotton swabs can be printed from your home computer after signing up for a MyVGL account and placing an order. Test kits are not mailed.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1.

Person looking at different brands of cotton swabs in a storePurchase regular household cotton swabs for cat DNA collection (the cotton swabs can be purchased at a pharmacy or drug store)

 

2.

Label indicating both ends of the two cotton swabsUse both ends of the two cotton swabs for a total of four swabs.

 

3.

Demonstration of swabbing the inner cheek of a cat with a cotton swabCollect the DNA sample by swabbing the cheek and gums of the cat.

 

4.

Cotton swabs taped to bar-coded submission form for VGLAfter swabbing the cheek and gums, tape the cotton swabs to the bar-coded submission form printed from your MyVGL account.

Additional Details

Chocolate and Cinnamon British Shorthair Kittens
Cinnamon (center) and chocolate (left and right) British Shorthair kittens

The tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TYRP1) gene affects the amount of black pigment (eumelanin) produced, and mutations in this gene are known to cause brown coat color phenotypes in many species of mammal. Research by Lyons Feline Genetics Laboratory at University of California, Davis identified two mutations in this gene that cause different variations of brown coat colors in cats. The darker shade of brown coat color referred to as chocolate/chestnut results from an intronic mutation that causes a splice variant (c.1261+5G>A) which results in a truncated protein. A lighter brown variant commonly called cinnamon/red is caused by a nonsense mutation (c.298T>C) that also results in an truncated protein.

The two variants form an allelic series that lead to these shades of brown. The wild-type B allele produces normal, black coloration (full production of eumelanin). The b allele produces the brown or chocolate phenotype and the bl allele produces a light brown or cinnamon phenotype. The order of dominance in this allelic series is B dominant to b, and b dominant to bl (B > b > bl).

Type of Sample
Cotton Swab

Species

Cat

Breed

Abyssinian African Shorthair Alpine Lynx American Bobtail American Curl American Longhair American Shorthair American Wirehair Asian Leopard Cat Asian Shorthair Australian Mist Balinese Bambino Bengal Birman Bombay Bristol British Longhair British Shorthair Burmese Burmilla California Spangled Ceylon Chantilly Chartreux Chaussie Cheetoh Colorpoint Shorthair Cornish Rex Crossbred Cymric Devon Rex Domestic Longhair Domestic Lynx Domestic Mediumhair Domestic Shorthair Don Sphynx Egyptian Mau European Burmese European Shorthair Exotic Longhair Exotic Shorthair Foldex Geoffroy Cat German Longhair German Rex Havana Brown Highland Fold Highland Lynx Highland Straight Highlander Himalayan Japanese Bobtail Javanese Jungle Curl Khao Manee Korat Kurilean Bobtail Longhair Kurilean Bobtail Shorthair La Perm Lion Lykoi Maine Coon Mandalay Manx Mohave Bob Munchkin Napoleon Native Thai Cat Nebelung Neva Masquerade Norwegian Forest Cat Ocicat Ojos Azules Oriental Longhair Oriental Shorthair Pallas's Cat Persian Persian Cross Peterbald Pixie Bob Ragamuffin Ragdoll Russian Blue Russian White Safari Savannah Cat Scottish Fold Scottish Straight Selkirk Rex Serval Siamese Siberian Cat Singapura Snowshoe Somali Sphynx Suphalak Tennessee Rex Thai Thai Burmese Tiffany Tonkinese Toybob Toyger Turkish Angora Turkish Van Unknown York Chocolate
+ View All Breeds
Type of Test
Coat Color and/or Type
Results Reported As
Test Result Brown (Chocolate/Cinnamon)
B/B Full color. Cat does not carry brown or cinnamon.
B/b Full color. Carrier of brown.
B/bl Full color. Carrier of cinnamon.
b/b Brown.
b/bl Brown. Carrier of cinnamon.
bl/bl Cinnamon.
References

Lyons, L.A., Foe, I.T., Rah, H.C., & Grahn, R.A. (2005). Chocolate coated cats: TYRP1 mutations from brown color in domestic cats. Mammalian Genome, 16, 356-366. doi: 10.1007/s00335-004-2455-4

Schmidt-Küntzel, A., Eizirik, E., O'Brien, S.Y., Menotti-Raymond, M. (2005). Tyrosinase and tyrosinase related protein 1 alleles specify domestic cat coat color phenotypes of the albino and brown loci. J Hered. Jul-Aug; 96(4): 289–301. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esi066.

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