IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v8y2017i1d10.1038_ncomms14139.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diverse feather shape evolution enabled by coupling anisotropic signalling modules with self-organizing branching programme

Author

Listed:
  • Ang Li

    (University of Southern California)

  • Seth Figueroa

    (University of California)

  • Ting-Xin Jiang

    (University of Southern California)

  • Ping Wu

    (University of Southern California)

  • Randall Widelitz

    (University of Southern California)

  • Qing Nie

    (University of California
    University of California)

  • Cheng-Ming Chuong

    (University of Southern California
    Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University
    Center for the Integrative and Evolutionary Galliformes Genomics, National Chung Hsing University
    Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University)

Abstract

Adaptation of feathered dinosaurs and Mesozoic birds to new ecological niches was potentiated by rapid diversification of feather vane shapes. The molecular mechanism driving this spectacular process remains unclear. Here, through morphology analysis, transcriptome profiling, functional perturbations and mathematical simulations, we find that mesenchyme-derived GDF10 and GREM1 are major controllers for the topologies of rachidial and barb generative zones (setting vane boundaries), respectively, by tuning the periodic-branching programme of epithelial progenitors. Their interactions with the anterior–posterior WNT gradient establish the bilateral-symmetric vane configuration. Additionally, combinatory effects of CYP26B1, CRABP1 and RALDH3 establish dynamic retinoic acid (RA) landscapes in feather mesenchyme, which modulate GREM1 expression and epithelial cell shapes. Incremental changes of RA gradient slopes establish a continuum of asymmetric flight feathers along the wing, while switch-like modulation of RA signalling confers distinct vane shapes between feather tracts. Therefore, the co-option of anisotropic signalling modules introduced new dimensions of feather shape diversification.

Suggested Citation

  • Ang Li & Seth Figueroa & Ting-Xin Jiang & Ping Wu & Randall Widelitz & Qing Nie & Cheng-Ming Chuong, 2017. "Diverse feather shape evolution enabled by coupling anisotropic signalling modules with self-organizing branching programme," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14139
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14139
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14139
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms14139?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chih-Kuan Chen & Yao-Ming Chang & Ting-Xin Jiang & ZhiCao Yue & Tzu-Yu Liu & Jiayi Lu & Zhou Yu & Jinn-Jy Lin & Trieu-Duc Vu & Tao-Yu Huang & Hans I-Chen Harn & Chen Siang Ng & Ping Wu & Cheng-Ming Ch, 2024. "Conserved regulatory switches for the transition from natal down to juvenile feather in birds," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14139. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.