Chicken HOXC8 and HOXC10 genes may play a role in the altered skull morphology associated with the Crest phenotype.
J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol
; 340(6): 392-402, 2023 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37039065
ABSTRACT
One of the most intriguing traits found in domestic chickens is the Crest phenotype. This trait, characterized by a tuft of elongated feathers sprouted from the head, is found in breeds such as Polish chickens and Silkie chickens. Moreover, some crested chicken breeds also exhibit a protuberance in their anterodorsal skull region. Previous studies have strived to identify the causative factors of this trait. This study aimed to elucidate the role of chicken HOXC8 and HOXC10 in the formation of the Crest phenotype. We explored the effect of ectopic expression of HOXC8 or HOXC10 on the chicken craniofacial morphology using the RCAS retrovirus transformation system. Microcomputed tomography scanning was conducted to measure the 3D structure of the cranial bone of transgenic embryos for geometric morphometric analysis. We found that the ectopic expression of HOXC8 or HOXC10 in chicken heads caused mild morphological changes in the skull compared with the GFP-transgenic control group. Geometric morphometric analysis showed that HOXC8 and HOXC10 transgenic groups expressed a mild upward shape change in the frontal region of the skull compared with the control group, which is similar to what is seen in the crested chicken breeds. In conclusion, this study supports findings in previous studies in which HOX genes play a role in the formation of the altered skull morphology related to the Crest phenotype. It also supports that mutations in HOX genes may contribute to intra- and inter-specific variation in morphological traits in vertebrates.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Galinhas
/
Genes Homeobox
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Taiwan