Gene expression supports a single origin of horns and antlers in hoofed mammals.
Commun Biol
; 7(1): 509, 2024 May 20.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38769090
ABSTRACT
Horns, antlers, and other bony cranial appendages of even-toed hoofed mammals (ruminant artiodactyls) challenge traditional morphological homology assessments. Cranial appendages all share a permanent bone portion with family-specific integument coverings, but homology determination depends on whether the integument covering is an essential component or a secondary elaboration of each structure. To enhance morphological homology assessments, we tested whether juvenile cattle horn bud transcriptomes share homologous gene expression patterns with deer antlers relative to pig outgroup tissues, treating the integument covering as a secondary elaboration. We uncovered differentially expressed genes that support horn and antler homology, potentially distinguish them from non-cranial-appendage bone and other tissues, and highlight the importance of phylogenetic outgroups in homology assessments. Furthermore, we found differentially expressed genes that could support a shared cranial neural crest origin for horns and antlers and expression patterns that refine our understanding of the timing of horn and antler differentiation.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Cuernos de Venado
/
Ciervos
/
Cuernos
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Commun Biol
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos