GEPHE SUMMARY Print
Gephebase Gene
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00002125
Main curator
Santos
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
Black head feathers
Trait State in Taxon B
Red head feathers
Ancestral State
Unknown
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Common Name
Gouldian finch
Synonyms
Chloebia gouldiae; Chloebia gouldiae gouldiae; Gouldian finch; Erythrura gouldiae (Gould, 1844)
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... rapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Sauropsida; Sauria; Archelosauria; Archosauria; Dinosauria; Saurischia; Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Aves; Neognathae; Passeriformes; Passeroidea; Estrildidae; Erythrura
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon A an Infraspecies?
No
Taxon B
Common Name
Gouldian finch
Synonyms
Chloebia gouldiae; Chloebia gouldiae gouldiae; Gouldian finch; Erythrura gouldiae (Gould, 1844)
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... rapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Sauropsida; Sauria; Archelosauria; Archosauria; Dinosauria; Saurischia; Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Aves; Neognathae; Passeriformes; Passeroidea; Estrildidae; Erythrura
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Generic Gene Name
-
Synonyms
-
String
-
Sequence Similarities
-
GO - Molecular Function
-
GO - Biological Process
-
GO - Cellular Component
-
UniProtKB
GenebankID or UniProtKB
Presumptive Null
No
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
Molecular Details of the Mutation
candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the FST and MOCS2
Experimental Evidence
Authors
Toomey MB; Marques CI; Andrade P; Araújo PM; Sabatino S; Gazda MA; Afonso S; Lopes RJ; et al. ... show more
Abstract
Discrete colour morphs coexisting within a single population are common in nature. In a broad range of organisms, sympatric colour morphs often display major differences in other traits, including morphology, physiology or behaviour. Despite the repeated occurrence of this phenomenon, our understanding of the genetics that underlie multi-trait differences and the factors that promote the long-term maintenance of phenotypic variability within a freely interbreeding population are incomplete. Here, we investigated the genetic basis of red and black head colour in the Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae), a classic polymorphic system in which naturally occurring colour morphs also display differences in aggressivity and reproductive success. We show that the candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the Follistatin (FST) gene. Unlike recent findings in other systems where phenotypic morphs are explained by large inversions containing hundreds of genes (so-called supergenes), we did not identify any structural rearrangements between the two haplotypes using linked-read sequencing technology. Nucleotide divergence between the red and black alleles was high when compared to the remainder of the Z chromosome, consistent with their maintenance as balanced polymorphisms over several million years. Our results illustrate how pleiotropic phenotypes can arise from simple genetic variation, probably regulatory in nature.

© 2018 The Author(s).
RELATED GEPHE
Related Genes
No matches found.
Related Haplotypes
No matches found.
EXTERNAL LINKS
COMMENTS
@parallelism Candidate locus is a small (approx. 70 kb) non-coding region mapping to the Z chromosome near the FST and MOCS2, it is unclear which one is the causative locus.
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