ArticleMolecular biology and evolution2018
Multiple Regulatory Modules Are Required for Scale-to-Feather Conversion.
Article in Molecular biology and evolution, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers.
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45 citing papers in PubMed, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- A ∼18 kb upstream deletion of H2AFY is associated with the feathered leg trait in Yanying chickens.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Comparative Transcriptomics of Feather Follicles Reveals Potential Candidate Genes for Duck Feather Type Differentiation.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Hierarchical Gene Cluster Regulation Across Vertebrate Skins: Developmental Control of Keratin Gene Expression.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Novel tissue mechanics-guided cellular flows drive the formation of feather follicles.The EMBO journal · 2026Article
- Sexually dimorphic sail feathers in the Mandarin duck as a model for lifelong developmental modulation.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Research Progress on the Molecular Mechanism of Poultry Feather Follicle Development.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- Regulation of feather length: FGF/IGF signaling and NOTCH/YAP modulation of progenitor cell topology.Science advances · 2025Article
- Organizational principles of integumentary organs: Maximizing variations for effective adaptation.Developmental biology · 2025Review
- Cyclic renewal in three ectodermal appendage follicles: Hairs, feathers and teeth.Developmental biology · 2025Review
- Effects of targeted deletion of a 284 bp avian-specific highly conserved element within theZoological research · 2025Article
- Skin regional specification and higher-orderScience advances · 2025Article
- In vivo sonic hedgehog pathway antagonism temporarily results in ancestral proto-feather-like structures in the chicken.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Integrating whole-genome re-sequencing and transcriptome data to reveal the molecular mechanism of TBX5 gene regulating feathered feet in Guangxi native chickens.Poultry science · 2025Article
- Skin Appendage Proteins of Tetrapods: Building Blocks of Claws, Feathers, Hair and Other Cornified Epithelial Structures.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Review
- A molecular mechanism for bright color variation in parrots.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2024Article
- A chromosome-level genome assembly of the Asian house martin implies potential genes associated with the feathered-foot trait.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2024Article
- Cellular structure of dinosaur scales reveals retention of reptile-type skin during the evolutionary transition to feathers.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Conserved regulatory switches for the transition from natal down to juvenile feather in birds.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Transition from natal downs to juvenile feathers: conserved regulatory switches in Neoaves.Research square · 2023Article
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11 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
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Abstract
The origin of feathers is an important question in Evo-Devo studies, with the eventual evolution of vaned feathers which are aerodynamic, allowing feathered dinosaurs and early birds to fly and venture into new ecological niches. Studying how feathers and scales are developmentally specified provides insight into how a new organ may evolve. We identified feather-associated genes using genomic analyses. The candidate genes were tested by expressing them in chicken and alligator scale forming regions. Ectopic expression of these genes induced intermediate morphotypes between scales and feathers which revealed several major morphogenetic events along this path: Localized growth zone formation, follicle invagination, epithelial branching, feather keratin differentiation, and dermal papilla formation. In addition to molecules known to induce feathers on scales (retinoic acid, β-catenin), we identified novel scale-feather converters (Sox2, Zic1, Grem1, Spry2, Sox18) which induce one or more regulatory modules guiding these morphogenetic events. Some morphotypes resemble filamentous appendages found in feathered dinosaur fossils, whereas others exhibit characteristics of modern avian feathers. We propose these morpho-regulatory modules were used to diversify archosaur scales and to initiate feather evolution. The regulatory combination and hierarchical integration may have led to the formation of extant feather forms. Our study highlights the importance of integrating discoveries between developmental biology and paleontology.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.