Pauli Martina, Chakarov Nayden, Rupp Oliver, Kalinowski Jörn, Goesmann Alexander, Sorenson Michael D, Krüger Oliver, Hoffman Joseph Ivan
Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.
Present address: Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden.
BMC Genomics. 2015 Dec 9;16:1038. doi: 10.1186/s12864-015-2254-1.
Studies of non-model species are important for understanding the molecular processes underpinning phenotypic variation under natural ecological conditions. The common buzzard (Buteo buteo; Aves: Accipitriformes) is a widespread and common Eurasian raptor with three distinct plumage morphs that differ in several fitness-related traits, including parasite infestation. To provide a genomic resource for plumage polymorphic birds in general and to search for candidate genes relating to fitness, we generated a transcriptome from a single dead buzzard specimen plus easily accessible, minimally invasive samples from live chicks.
We not only de novo assembled a near-complete buzzard transcriptome, but also obtained a significant fraction of the transcriptome of its malaria-like parasite, Leucocytozoon buteonis. By identifying melanogenesis-related transcripts that are differentially expressed in light ventral and dark dorsal feathers, but which are also expressed in other regions of the body, we also identified a suite of candidate genes that could be associated with fitness differences among the morphs. These include several immune-related genes, providing a plausible link between melanisation and parasite load. qPCR analysis of a subset of these genes revealed significant differences between ventral and dorsal feathers and an additional effect of morph.
This new resource provides preliminary insights into genes that could be involved in fitness differences between the buzzard colour morphs, and should facilitate future studies of raptors and their malaria-like parasites.
对非模式物种的研究对于理解自然生态条件下表型变异背后的分子过程至关重要。普通鵟(Buteo buteo;鸟纲:鹰形目)是一种广泛分布于欧亚大陆的常见猛禽,有三种不同的羽色形态,在包括寄生虫感染在内的几个与适应性相关的性状上存在差异。为了为一般的羽色多态性鸟类提供基因组资源,并寻找与适应性相关的候选基因,我们从一只死亡的普通鵟标本以及从活雏鸟身上容易获取的、微创样本中生成了转录组。
我们不仅从头组装了一个近乎完整的普通鵟转录组,还获得了其类疟原虫——白血胞虫(Leucocytozoon buteonis)转录组的很大一部分。通过鉴定在腹部浅色羽毛和背部深色羽毛中差异表达、但也在身体其他部位表达的与黑色素生成相关的转录本,我们还鉴定出了一组可能与不同形态之间适应性差异相关的候选基因。这些基因包括几个免疫相关基因,为黑色素沉着和寄生虫负荷之间提供了一个合理的联系。对这些基因的一个子集进行的qPCR分析揭示了腹部羽毛和背部羽毛之间的显著差异以及形态的额外影响。
这个新资源为可能参与普通鵟颜色形态之间适应性差异的基因提供了初步见解,并应有助于未来对猛禽及其类疟原虫的研究。