HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis
ABSTRACT: The Huiyang beard chicken is a well-known Chinese local breed known for its elongated feathers gathered from both sides of the face (muffs) and below the beak (beard), as well as short wattles (SW). The muff and beard (Mb) mutation is caused by ectopic upregulation of the homeobox B8 (HOXB...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Poultry Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003257912300490X |
| _version_ | 1827808394564599808 |
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| author | Xiaotong Zheng Ying Zhang Yawen Zhang Jianfei Chen Ruixue Nie Junying Li Hao Zhang Changxin Wu |
| author_facet | Xiaotong Zheng Ying Zhang Yawen Zhang Jianfei Chen Ruixue Nie Junying Li Hao Zhang Changxin Wu |
| author_sort | Xiaotong Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT: The Huiyang beard chicken is a well-known Chinese local breed known for its elongated feathers gathered from both sides of the face (muffs) and below the beak (beard), as well as short wattles (SW). The muff and beard (Mb) mutation is caused by ectopic upregulation of the homeobox B8 (HOXB8) gene in the mandibular skin; and the chi-square test showed a significant correlation between SW and Mb genotypes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate Mb and SW variations remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomes of the mandibular skin and wattles of chickens with and without the Mb genotype to elucidate the molecular basis of these traits. Our results show that HOXB8 is expressed at significantly higher levels in both the mandibular skin and wattles of Mb chickens than in those of wild-type chickens, indicating that HOXB8 regulates both the Mb and SW phenotypes. Key genes for keratin synthesis were highly expressed in the mandibular skin of Mb chickens, suggesting that HOXB8 may play a role in feather development. In wattles, changes in the expression of extracellular matrix synthesis genes may contribute to SW traits. DNA-binding motif analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes were likely to be directly regulated by HOXB8 binding, indicating that HOXB8 may directly or indirectly regulate feather follicle development and wattle growth. Our study identified both known and novel targets, including several genes not previously implicated in feather development and mesenchymal formation. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of skin appendage variation in birds and offer potential applications in breeding poultry breeds with unique phenotypes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:26:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-204249bfe3c2462b8126827acb726a1e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0032-5791 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:26:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Poultry Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-204249bfe3c2462b8126827acb726a1e2023-09-24T05:14:01ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912023-10-0110210102971HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysisXiaotong Zheng0Ying Zhang1Yawen Zhang2Jianfei Chen3Ruixue Nie4Junying Li5Hao Zhang6Changxin Wu7State Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, Jiangsu Province, ChinaChina Agricultural Museum, Beijing 100026, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaSchool of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, Jiangsu Province, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; Corresponding author:State Key Laboratory of Farm Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaABSTRACT: The Huiyang beard chicken is a well-known Chinese local breed known for its elongated feathers gathered from both sides of the face (muffs) and below the beak (beard), as well as short wattles (SW). The muff and beard (Mb) mutation is caused by ectopic upregulation of the homeobox B8 (HOXB8) gene in the mandibular skin; and the chi-square test showed a significant correlation between SW and Mb genotypes. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate Mb and SW variations remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomes of the mandibular skin and wattles of chickens with and without the Mb genotype to elucidate the molecular basis of these traits. Our results show that HOXB8 is expressed at significantly higher levels in both the mandibular skin and wattles of Mb chickens than in those of wild-type chickens, indicating that HOXB8 regulates both the Mb and SW phenotypes. Key genes for keratin synthesis were highly expressed in the mandibular skin of Mb chickens, suggesting that HOXB8 may play a role in feather development. In wattles, changes in the expression of extracellular matrix synthesis genes may contribute to SW traits. DNA-binding motif analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes were likely to be directly regulated by HOXB8 binding, indicating that HOXB8 may directly or indirectly regulate feather follicle development and wattle growth. Our study identified both known and novel targets, including several genes not previously implicated in feather development and mesenchymal formation. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of skin appendage variation in birds and offer potential applications in breeding poultry breeds with unique phenotypes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003257912300490XHOXB8morphologic variationwattle lengthfeather variation |
| spellingShingle | Xiaotong Zheng Ying Zhang Yawen Zhang Jianfei Chen Ruixue Nie Junying Li Hao Zhang Changxin Wu HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis Poultry Science HOXB8 morphologic variation wattle length feather variation |
| title | HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis |
| title_full | HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis |
| title_fullStr | HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis |
| title_short | HOXB8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin: an RNA-seq analysis |
| title_sort | hoxb8 overexpression induces morphological changes in chicken mandibular skin an rna seq analysis |
| topic | HOXB8 morphologic variation wattle length feather variation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003257912300490X |
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