The first cloned cat, called Carbon Copy, was a calico, but she looked significantly different from her female parent. Why?
A)The environment, as well as genetics, affects phenotypic variation.
B)Fur-colour genes in cats are influenced by differential acetylation patterns.
C)Cloned animals have been found to have a higher frequency of transposon activation.
D)X inactivation in the embryo is random and produces different patterns.
E)The telomeres of the parent's chromosomes were shorter than those of an embryo.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

X inactivation in the embryo is random and produces different patterns. This means that in each cell of the female body, one X chromosome is inactivated, meaning that only one copy of X-linked genes is expressed. In Carbon Copy's case, the X chromosome that was inactivated in the clone was different from the one that was inactivated in the female parent, leading to different fur patterns.

The First Cloned Cat, Called Carbon Copy, Was a Calico