Mutant Genes Hold the Key to Speed

Whippets bred for racing were found to have a mutated gene that makes them fast. The discovery could have a huge impact on the athletic world.

A study by Dr. Elaine Ostrander of the National Human Genome Research Institute found that a mutated gene that controls muscle development is what makes a whippet racing dogs fast. The gene controls myostati, a muscle protein. Racing dog breeders looking for first place contenders look for pups that are slim rather than bulky. The bulkier pups, they found, had two copies of this gene, rather than one, and were usually destroyed because they would be too big to race. The findings in this study have big implications when it comes to athletes in the human world, possibly explaining why some athletes excel. "Our work is the first to link athletic performance to a mutation in the myostatin gene and could have implications for competitive sports in dogs, horses and possibly even humans," Ostrander said. The mutated gene was not found in Greyhounds, a dog similar to the whippet. The mutated gene was, however, sometimes found in cattle. In those cases, the cattle displayed smaller lungs than those without the mutated genes. Racing greyhounds would be devastated if they had this gene and as a result, had smaller lungs. The whippets are okay with smaller lungs, however, since they are a smaller dog and only must sprint short distances when racing. Another gene, called MSTN, correlates with the dog's sprinting ability. The same team of researchers has been studying genes of dogs for some time and found a gene called IGF1 that was related to dogs that were small. They believe the same gene is responsible for smaller humans.