The Chinese crested duck is a unique duck breed having a bulbous feather shape on its duck head.However,the mechanisms involved in its formation and development are unclear.In the present study,RNA sequencing analysis...The Chinese crested duck is a unique duck breed having a bulbous feather shape on its duck head.However,the mechanisms involved in its formation and development are unclear.In the present study,RNA sequencing analysis was performed on the crested tissues of 6 Chinese crested ducks and the scalp tissues of 6 cherry valley ducks(CVs)from 2 developmental stages.This study identified 261 differentially expressed genes(DEGs),122 upregulated and 139 downregulated,in the E28 stage and 361 DEGs,154 upregulated and 207 downregulated in the D42 stage between CC and CV ducks.The subsequent results of weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA)revealed that the turquoise and cyan modules were associated with the crest trait in the D42 stage,meanwhile,the green,brown,and pink modules were associated with the crest trait in the E28 stage.Venn analysis of the DEGs and WGCNA showed that 145 and 45 genes are associated between the D42 and E28 stages,respectively.The expression of WNT16,BMP2,SLC35F2,SLC6A15,APOBEC2,ABHD6,TNNC2,MYL1,and TNNI2 were verified by real-time quantitative PCR.This study provides an approach to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the crested trait development.展开更多
The Chinese crested(CC)duck is a unique indigenous waterfowl breed,which has a crest cushion that affects its survival rate.Therefore,the CC duck is an ideal model to investigate the genetic compensation response to m...The Chinese crested(CC)duck is a unique indigenous waterfowl breed,which has a crest cushion that affects its survival rate.Therefore,the CC duck is an ideal model to investigate the genetic compensation response to maintain genetic stability.In the present study,we first generated a chromosome-level genome of CC ducks.Comparative genomics revealed that genes related to tissue repair,immune function,and tumors were under strong positive selection,indicating that these adaptive changes might enhance cancer resistance and immune response to maintain the genetic stability of CC ducks.We also assembled a Chinese spot-billed(Csp-b)duck genome,and detected the structural variations(SVs)in the genome assemblies of three ducks(i.e.,CC duck,Csp-b duck,and Peking duck).Functional analysis revealed that several SVs were related to the immune system of CC ducks,further strongly suggesting that genetic compensation in the anti-tumor and immune systems supports the survival of CC ducks.Moreover,we confirmed that the CC duck originated from the mallard ducks.Finally,we revealed the physiological and genetic basis of crest traits and identified a causative mutation in TAS2R40 that leads to crest formation.Overall,the findings of this study provide new insights into the role of genetic compensation in adaptive evolution.展开更多
基金supported by the earmarked fund for CARS,China(CARS-42)the earmarked fund for Jiangsu Agricultural Industry Technology System,China(JATS(2022)331)the Jiangsu Key Research and Development Program,China(BE2021332)。
文摘The Chinese crested duck is a unique duck breed having a bulbous feather shape on its duck head.However,the mechanisms involved in its formation and development are unclear.In the present study,RNA sequencing analysis was performed on the crested tissues of 6 Chinese crested ducks and the scalp tissues of 6 cherry valley ducks(CVs)from 2 developmental stages.This study identified 261 differentially expressed genes(DEGs),122 upregulated and 139 downregulated,in the E28 stage and 361 DEGs,154 upregulated and 207 downregulated in the D42 stage between CC and CV ducks.The subsequent results of weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA)revealed that the turquoise and cyan modules were associated with the crest trait in the D42 stage,meanwhile,the green,brown,and pink modules were associated with the crest trait in the E28 stage.Venn analysis of the DEGs and WGCNA showed that 145 and 45 genes are associated between the D42 and E28 stages,respectively.The expression of WNT16,BMP2,SLC35F2,SLC6A15,APOBEC2,ABHD6,TNNC2,MYL1,and TNNI2 were verified by real-time quantitative PCR.This study provides an approach to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the crested trait development.
基金supported by the China Agriculture Research System(Grant No.CARS-42)the Jiangsu Agricultural Technology System(Grant No.JATS[2020]435)the Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Fund(Grant No.CX[18]1004),China.
文摘The Chinese crested(CC)duck is a unique indigenous waterfowl breed,which has a crest cushion that affects its survival rate.Therefore,the CC duck is an ideal model to investigate the genetic compensation response to maintain genetic stability.In the present study,we first generated a chromosome-level genome of CC ducks.Comparative genomics revealed that genes related to tissue repair,immune function,and tumors were under strong positive selection,indicating that these adaptive changes might enhance cancer resistance and immune response to maintain the genetic stability of CC ducks.We also assembled a Chinese spot-billed(Csp-b)duck genome,and detected the structural variations(SVs)in the genome assemblies of three ducks(i.e.,CC duck,Csp-b duck,and Peking duck).Functional analysis revealed that several SVs were related to the immune system of CC ducks,further strongly suggesting that genetic compensation in the anti-tumor and immune systems supports the survival of CC ducks.Moreover,we confirmed that the CC duck originated from the mallard ducks.Finally,we revealed the physiological and genetic basis of crest traits and identified a causative mutation in TAS2R40 that leads to crest formation.Overall,the findings of this study provide new insights into the role of genetic compensation in adaptive evolution.
