Authors
Tanaka, G., Goto, R., Komoto, T., Kubota, A., Hayashi, R., Igawa, T., Sakamoto, N., Awazu, A.
Abstract
Objectives: Crandell-Rees Feline Kidney (CRFK; kidney-derived) cells and PG-4 cells (astrocyte-derived) have been in use and have been passaged for decades in laboratories worldwide; however, no detailed information on the genetic background of the donor individuals is available, particularly regarding phenotype characteristics such as coat and iris color. Methods: We performed whole-genome sequencing of CRFK and PG-4 cells. We analyzed the resulting data to infer the phenotype of the individual from which the cells were derived, specifically for the coat color, coat length, coat pattern, and iris color. Results: Our data suggested that CRFK cells originated from a cat with long chocolate-brown fur lacking stripes and with non-blue irises; PG-4 cells originated from a cat with long bicolored white and dark brown fur without stripes, and with non-blue irises. Analysis of publicly available RNA-seq data confirmed that genes associated with coat phenotype and iris color are expressed in the skin and eyes, as well as in various other organs. Conclusions and relevance: Variants of the genes affecting coat phenotype and iris color may influence physiological functions throughout the body. These results shed light on the previously unknown genetic background of commonly used feline cultured cells and the phenotype of the donor individuals. These insights may facilitate a more accurate interpretation of data derived from feline cultured cells and inform guidelines to establish cell lines with various genotypes (for example, disease-associated variants) through genome editing, which will help elucidate genetic factors affecting resistance to infectious diseases and cancer, the risk of internal organ afflictions, and genetic diseases such as deafness in cats with white fur and blue irises.
Preprint server:
bioRxiv
The authors list and abstract were imported from bioRxiv on 04 Nov 2025.
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