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Who Is Lil Bub? A Genome Project Takes A Closer Look

lil bub

When most people see Bloomington celebrity feline Lil Bub, they think, "Awww!"

But when geneticist Dario Darío Lupiañez saw the bug-eyed internet darling for the first time, he thought  "Why?"

"The question that I had in mind at that moment was "What is up with this cat?'" he says.

How Cats On The Internet Help Further Science

Bub doesn't look like a regular cat. She has big bug eyes, a long, ferret-like body suspended on stubby legs and one extra toe on each paw. Her tongue permanently sticks out and she doesn't have any teeth.

Bub's traits are the result of altered DNA, and Lupiañez wasn't the only one interested in them.

Daniel Ibrahim, his colleague at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, saw similarities between Bub and humans with genetic disorders.

"I stumbled on it how everyone does," says Ibrahim. "But as we are looking at those type of cases in humans, I had different associations than ‘Damn, Lil Bub is really cute…' It was like, even for rare diseases, this is unusual."

Bub's dwarfism is a result of osteopetrosis, which means her bones became dense and hard before they could grow. In addition to the bone disorder, she also has a rare defect called polydactyly (extra toes) on each paw. Seeing just one of these disorders is rare, but two at once is unheard of.

The two decided to get in touch with Bub's owner, Mike Bridavsky, to ask if they could take a look at her genome. Bridavsky owns Bloomington studio Russian Recording and found Bub in a shed four years ago.

The researchers were nervous, spending days drafting an email to send Bridavsky. But, they say he got back to them almost immediately to give permission.

Through crowdfunding, the project dubbed the "Lil BUBome," raised the needed $6,000 in a little over a month.

A Larger Project

The geneticists' research is part of a larger project called the 99 Lives Initiative, an effort to track the genomes of dozens of cats.

Coordinater Leslie Lyons says that by looking at the genomes of cats with genetic defects, like Bub, and comparing them to normal cats, scientists can understand the basis for many genetic diseasesin humans, too.

"Cats have many inherited diseases that humans have as well," she says. "If we can figure out why a cat has a disease which might be a little easier to do at times, we can apply that knowledge to humans as well."

For example, the genetic key to Lil Bub's dwarfism could end up helping humans with the condition.

"There's still many undefined reasons why we have human dwarves, so maybe Lil Bub will help in that regard," says Lyons.

The scientists have already started looking at Bub's genome, with some interesting preliminary findings. They were curious to see if Bub's afflictions were the result of a single underlying disorder or two separate mutations.

"[We thought], maybe she's one of those super rare individuals that actually happens to have two separate, individual, really, really rare mutations," says Uschi Symmons, another member of the BUBome team. "We've actually found something that we think could very well explain her polydactyly, which would suggest we're now looking for two separate mutations."

The 99 Lives Initiative is still underway, with Lyons hoping to recruit more DNA samples from what the team calls "fancy internet cats." They've already gained the support of Luna the Fashion Kitty, a Persian with a fondness for tutus, and Hamilton the Hipster Cat, who has fur that resembles a handlebar mustache.

"The internet cats help us to get popular press and PR," she explains. "In the meantime, they're interesting to sequence too. If they're just normal cats, that's great, but we need cats afflicted with health problems as well."

Lyons says she would love to get in touch with Grumpy Cat, who, like Bub, has feline dwarfism.

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