Types of Legfeathering in Pigeons

Wexelsen, H.

doi:10.1111/j.1601-5223.1933.tb02610.x

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…In contrast, domestic pigeons ( Columba livia ) exhibit stunning variation within a single extant species ( Shapiro and Domyan, 2013 ). Most breeds have feet covered by scaled epidermis (wild-type), but scales are replaced by small feathers in grouse (gr ) mutants, and by larger feather 'muffs' in birds that also carry mutant alleles at the Slipper (Sl ) locus ( Doncaster, 1912 ; Wexelsen, 1934 ; Hollander, 1937 ; Levi, 1986 ) ( Figure 1A ). In muffed breeds, scutellate scales are generally absent or poorly developed on the feathered epidermis covering the tarsometatarsus and toes, and feathers are surrounded by soft integument.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular shifts in limb identity underlie development of feathered feet in two domestic avian species

Domyan

Kronenberg

Infante

et al. 2016

eLife

145

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Birds display remarkable diversity in the distribution and morphology of scales and feathers on their feet, yet the genetic and developmental mechanisms governing this diversity remain unknown. Domestic pigeons have striking variation in foot feathering within a single species, providing a tractable model to investigate the molecular basis of skin appendage differences. We found that feathered feet in pigeons result from a partial transformation from hindlimb to forelimb identity mediated by cis-regulatory changes in the genes encoding the hindlimb-specific transcription factor Pitx1 and forelimb-specific transcription factor Tbx5. We also found that ectopic expression of Tbx5 is associated with foot feathers in chickens, suggesting similar molecular pathways underlie phenotypic convergence between these two species. These results show how changes in expression of regional patterning genes can generate localized changes in organ fate and morphology, and provide viable molecular mechanisms for diversity in hindlimb scale and feather distribution.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.12115.001

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular shifts in limb identity underlie development of feathered feet in two domestic avian species

Domyan

Kronenberg

Infante

et al. 2016

eLife

145

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“…While most pigeons have scaled HLs, in some breeds scaled epidermis is replaced by skin with a range of feather morphologies ( Figure 1A-C). Classical genetic experiments show that large feather "muffs" are caused by the synergistic effects of mutant alleles at two loci, grouse (gr) and Slipper (Sl), which independently produce smaller foot feathers (Doncaster, 1912, Wexelsen, 1934, Hollander, 1937, Levi, 1986. We recently showed that gr and Sl are cis-regulatory alleles of the limb identity genes PITX1 and TBX5, respectively (Domyan et al, 2016), and proposed a model in which feathered feet are the result of a partial transformation from HL to FL identity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigeon foot feathering reveals conserved limb identity networks

Boer

Hollebeke

Park

et al. 2019

Preprint

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statementIn feather-footed pigeons, mutant alleles of PITX1 and TBX5 drive the partial redeployment of an evolutionarily conserved forelimb genetic program in the hindlimb. AbstractThe tetrapod limb is a stunning example of evolutionary diversity, with dramatic variation not only among distantly related species, but also between the serially homologous forelimbs (FLs) and hindlimbs (HLs) within species. Despite this variation, highly conserved genetic and developmental programs underlie limb development and identity in all tetrapods, raising the question of how limb diversification is generated from a conserved toolkit. In some breeds of domestic pigeon, shifts in the expression of two conserved limb identity transcription factors, PITX1 and TBX5, are associated with the formation of feathered HLs with partial FL identity. To determine how modulation of PITX1 and TBX5 expression affects downstream gene expression, we compared the transcriptomes of embryonic limb buds from pigeons with scaled and feathered HLs. We identified a set of differentially expressed genes enriched for genes encoding transcription factors, extracellular matrix proteins, and components of developmental signaling pathways with important roles in limb development. A subset of the genes that distinguish scaled and feathered HLs are also differentially expressed between FL and scaled HL buds in pigeons, pinpointing a set of gene expression changes downstream of PITX1 and TBX5 in the partial transformation from HL to FL identity. We extended our analyses by comparing pigeon limb bud transcriptomes to chicken, anole lizard, and mammalian datasets to identify deeply conserved PITX1-and TBX5-regulated components of the limb identity program. Our analyses reveal a suite of predominantly low-level gene expression changes that are conserved across amniotes to regulate the identity of morphologically distinct limbs.

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“…4). Classical breeding experiments demonstrate that diversity in epidermal appendage type is governed by a small number of loci (Doncaster, 1912; Hollander, 1937, 1983; Wexelsen, 1934). This epidermal variability is reminiscent of interspecific variation among wild birds, as some raptor and boreal species have feathered feet (e.g., some ptarmigans and owls).…”

Section: The Molecular Basis Of Phenotypic Variation In Pigeonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigeonetics takes flight: Evolution, development, and genetics of intraspecific variation

Domyan

Shapiro

2017

Developmental Biology

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Intensive artificial selection over thousands of years has produced hundreds of varieties of domestic pigeon. As Charles Darwin observed, the morphological differences among breeds can rise to the magnitude of variation typically observed among different species. Nevertheless, different pigeon varieties are interfertile, thereby enabling forward genetic and genomic approaches to identify genes that underlie derived traits. Building on classical genetic studies of pigeon variation, recent molecular investigations find a spectrum of coding and regulatory alleles controlling derived traits, including plumage color, feather growth polarity, and limb identity. Developmental and genetic analyses of pigeons are revealing the molecular basis of variation in a classic example of extreme intraspecific diversity, and have the potential to nominate genes that control variation among other birds and vertebrates in general.

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Types of Legfeathering in Pigeons

Cited by 7 publications

References 7 publications

Molecular shifts in limb identity underlie development of feathered feet in two domestic avian species

Molecular shifts in limb identity underlie development of feathered feet in two domestic avian species

Pigeon foot feathering reveals conserved limb identity networks

Pigeonetics takes flight: Evolution, development, and genetics of intraspecific variation

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