Heritable genome-wide variation of gene expression and promoter methylation between wild and domesticated chickens

Nätt, Daniel; Rubin, Carl-Johan; Wright, Dominic; Johnsson, Martin; Bélteky, Johan; Andersson, Leif; Jensen, Per

doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-59

Cited by 134 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(63 reference statements)

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“…For example, DNA-methylation might be affected by stress associated with fear of humans, and individuals able to mount epigenetic responses could in theory be able to adapt more efficiently to captivity. Our results show that few generations of selection was associated with tissue-specific epigenetic modifications, consistent with previous studies showing large epigenetic differences between domestic and ancestral chickens (Nätt et al, 2012). However, to complicate matters, epigenetic variation is partly dependent on genetic variation, so it is possible that selection acts on genotypes with an ability to mount epigenetic responses (Richards, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Epigenetic modifications may happen very fast and in direct response to environmental challenges, thus potentially explaining the rapid responses observed to selection for tameness. One study found large epigenetic differences in the brains of domesticated chickens compared to their ancestors, the Red Junglefowl, supporting the suggestion that epigenetics may play a large role in evolutionary radiation (Nätt et al, 2012).…”

Section: Possible Genetic Mechanisms In Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Is evolution of domestication driven by tameness? A selective review with focus on chickens

Agnvall

Bélteky

Katajamaa

et al. 2018

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Domestication of animals offers unique possibilities to study evolutionary changes caused by similar selection pressures across a range of species. Animals from separate genera tend to develop a suite of phenotypic alterations referred to as "the domesticated phenotype". This involves changes in appearance, including loss of pigmentation, and alterations in body size and proportions. Furthermore, effects on reproduction and behaviour are typical. It is hypothesized that this recurring phenotype may be secondary effects of the increased tameness that is an inevitable first step in the domestication of any species. We first provide a general overview of observations and experiments from different species and then review in more detail a project attempting to recreate the initial domestication of chickens. Starting from an outbred population of Red Junglefowl, ancestors of all modern chickens, divergent lines were selected based on scores in a standardized fear-of-human test applied to all birds at 12 weeks of age. Up to the eighth selected generation, observations have been made on correlated effects of this selection on various phenotypes. The fear score had a significant heritability and was genetically correlated to several other behavioural traits. Furthermore, low-fear birds were larger at hatch, grew faster, laid larger eggs, had a modified metabolism and increased feed efficiency, had modified social behaviour and reduced brain size. Selection affected gene expression and DNAmethylation in the brains, but the genetic and epigenetic effects were not specifically associated with stress pathways. Further research should be focused on unraveling the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the correlated side-effects of reduced fear of humans.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Possible Genetic Mechanisms In Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 90%

Is evolution of domestication driven by tameness? A selective review with focus on chickens

Agnvall

Bélteky

Katajamaa

et al. 2018

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Nest environment prior to hatching such as incubation temperature can also alter nestling baseline and stress-induced CORT levels [60]. Epigenetic modifications on the glucocorticoid response in avian species is not as well documented as in mammals, but a study comparing wild and domesticated chickens showed that total epigenetic modifications of gene expression, although different in modification profiles, is heritable [61]. Epigenetics may therefore be an important factor influencing HPA responsiveness to variable environments in birds, and it is possible that some of the rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org Proc.…”

Section: (B) Stress-induced Corticosteronementioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental analysis of the heritability of variation in glucocorticoid concentrations in a wild avian population

et al. 2014

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Glucocorticoid hormones (CORT) are predicted to promote adaptation to variable environments, yet little is known about the potential for CORT secretion patterns to respond to selection in free-living populations. We assessed the heritable variation underlying differences in hormonal phenotypes using a cross-foster experimental design with nestling North American barn swallows (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster). Using a bivariate animal model, we partitioned variance in baseline and stress-induced CORT concentrations into their additive genetic and rearing environment components and estimated their genetic correlation. Both baseline and stress-induced CORT were heritable with heritability of 0.152 and 0.343, respectively. We found that the variation in baseline CORT was best explained by rearing environment, whereas the variation in stress-induced CORT was contributed to by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Further, we did not detect a genetic correlation between these two hormonal traits. Although rearing environment appears to play an important role in the secretion of both types of CORT, our results suggest that stress-induced CORT levels are underlain by greater additive genetic variance compared with baseline CORT levels. Accordingly, we infer that the glucocorticoid response to stress has a greater potential for evolutionary change in response to selection compared with baseline glucocorticoid secretion patterns.

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“…Modulation of gene expression in the pituitary could for example be a result of changes to hypothalamic functioning, as much of the activity in the pituitary is governed by the hypothalamus. However, investigations of the hypothalamic transcriptome of ancestral and domesticated chickens did not identify genes well known to be involved in HPA axis activity (Nätt et al, 2012).…”

Section: Effects Of Domestication On Stress-related Gene Expressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestication and early experiences in chickens: Behavior, stress and gene expression

Løtvedt¹

2017

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A number of animal species have undergone domestication, the process of becoming adapted to living in captivity and in proximity to humans. Common for these species is that they have all developed certain traits, including changes to coat color, body size and level of fearfulness. This has been termed the domestic phenotype. Among these traits is also an attenuation of the response to stress, both behaviorally and physiologically. Thus, release of glucocorticoids such as cortisol or corticosterone is lower in domesticated species. However, the underlying mechanism for this is not yet well understood. In this thesis, we have investigated genetic mechanisms for the attenuation of the physiological stress response in ancestral chickens, the Red Junglefowl, and domesticated chickens, the White Leghorn.We found a number of genes that differed in expression between the two breeds in several tissues involved in the stress response. Among the most interesting findings were lower expression of genes involved in production and secretion of ACTH in the pituitary, and in the production of glucocorticoids in the adrenal glands, in the domesticated White Leghorns. We also found higher expression of the glucocorticoid receptor in White Leghorns, indicating that they may have a more efficient negative feedback of the physiological stress response.We then investigated the transcriptome of the chicken pituitary more closely, and we discovered that a number of genes highly involved in several important physiological axes showed differential expression between the ancestral and the domesticated breed. Among these were genes involved in the stress response, the reproductive system, and in metabolism and growth. As these traits are modified in domesticated species, our results suggest that changes to gene expression in the pituitary may be an important underlying factor of the domestic phenotype.A separate aim of this thesis was to investigate effects of hatching time in chickens on their subsequent phenotype. Time of hatching constitutes an early experience that may differ between individuals, and we therefore hypothesized that differences in hatching time would affect chickens later in life. While a number of studies have been performed on hatching time and post-hatch growth, very little work has been done on effects on behavior. We found that the time of hatching had sex-specific effects. Hatching times in females were negatively correlated with body weight, whereas in males, behaviors such as reaction to novelty and spatial learning were affected.As time of hatching is governed by various hormones, including thyroid hormone and corticosterone, we suggest that changes to the levels of these hormones could affect both hatching time and post-hatch phenotypes. Understanding these mechanisms better would be beneficial in terms of production, where batch homogeneity is important, in research on early experiences and the potential for maternal programming, and in evolutionary questions on trade-off between different life strateg...

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Heritable genome-wide variation of gene expression and promoter methylation between wild and domesticated chickens

Cited by 134 publications

References 43 publications

Is evolution of domestication driven by tameness? A selective review with focus on chickens

Is evolution of domestication driven by tameness? A selective review with focus on chickens

An experimental analysis of the heritability of variation in glucocorticoid concentrations in a wild avian population

Domestication and early experiences in chickens: Behavior, stress and gene expression

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