摘要
To search for genes associated with migratory phenotypes in songbirds,we selected candidate genes through annotations from the Mouse Genome Informatics database and assembled an extensive candidate-gene library.Then,we implemented a next-generation sequencing approach to obtain DNA sequences from the Painted Bunting genome.We focused on those sequences that were conserved across avian species and that aligned with candidate genes in our mouse library.We genotyped short sequence repeats from the following candidate genes:ADRA1d,ANKRD17,CISH and MYH7.We studied the possible correlations between allelic variations occurring in these novel candidate migration genes and avian migratory phenotypes available from the published literature.We found that allele variation at MYH7 correlated with a calculated index of speed of migration(km/day)across 11 species of songbirds.We highlight the potential of the Mouse Genome Informatics database in providing new candidate genes that might play a crucial role in regulating migration in birds and possibly in other taxa.Our research effort shows the benefits and limitations of working with extensive genomic datasets and offers a snapshot of the challenges related to cross-species validation in behavioral and molecular ecology studies.
基金
Funding for this research came from the Oklahoma Biological Survey,the National Science Foundation(IDBR#1152356,and DEB#0946685)
the United States Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture(NIFA-AFRI-003536)
All work with animals was performed under state and federal banding permits(Permit#23215)
was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Oklahoma(Protocol#R12-019).
