Variation in pigmentation gene expression is associated with distinct aposematic color morphs in the poison frog Dendrobates auratus
Variation in pigmentation gene expression is associated with distinct aposematic color morphs in the poison frog Dendrobates auratus
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DOI：
10.1186/s12862-019-1410-7
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发表时间：
2019-04-18
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Summers, Kyle
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Stuckert, Adam M. M.;Moore, Emily;Summers, Kyle
在许多物种中，颜色和图案表型对生存和繁殖有明确的影响。然而，产生这种颜色的机制仍然很不清楚，特别是在基因组水平上。在这里，我们采取了基于转录组学的方法来阐明影响高度多型毒蛙颜色和图案的潜在遗传机制。我们对来自变态最后阶段的四种不同颜色的皮肤的RNA进行了测序，并组装了一个从头转录组。然后，我们研究了差异基因表达，重点研究了来自其他分类群的候选颜色基因。结果总的来说，我们发现了一组控制黑素形成、黑素细胞分化和黑素细胞增殖的基因的差异表达（如tyrp1、lef1、leo1和mitf），以及一些参与嘌呤合成和虹膜细胞发育的差异表达基因（如arfgap1、arfgap2、airc和gart）。结论我们的研究结果表明，几种已知的影响脊椎动物颜色和花纹的基因网络在毒蛙的颜色和花纹变异中发挥了作用。
BackgroundColor and pattern phenotypes have clear implications for survival and reproduction in many species. However, the mechanisms that produce this coloration are still poorly characterized, especially at the genomic level. Here we have taken a transcriptomics-based approach to elucidate the underlying genetic mechanisms affecting color and pattern in a highly polytypic poison frog. We sequenced RNA from the skin from four different color morphs during the final stage of metamorphosis and assembled a de novo transcriptome. We then investigated differential gene expression, with an emphasis on examining candidate color genes from other taxa.ResultsOverall, we found differential expression of a suite of genes that control melanogenesis, melanocyte differentiation, and melanocyte proliferation (e.g., tyrp1, lef1, leo1, and mitf) as well as several differentially expressed genes involved in purine synthesis and iridophore development (e.g., arfgap1, arfgap2, airc, and gart).ConclusionsOur results provide evidence that several gene networks known to affect color and pattern in vertebrates play a role in color and pattern variation in this species of poison frog.