GEPHE SUMMARY Print
Gephebase Gene
Entry Status
Published
GepheID
GP00000612
Main curator
Martin
PHENOTYPIC CHANGE
Trait Category
Trait State in Taxon A
Sula leucogaster
Trait State in Taxon B
Sula leucogaster
Ancestral State
Data not curated
Taxonomic Status
Taxon A
Common Name
-
Synonyms
brown booby
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... rcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Sauropsida; Sauria; Archelosauria; Archosauria; Dinosauria; Saurischia; Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Aves; Neognathae; Pelecaniformes; Sulidae; Sula
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon A an Infraspecies?
No
Taxon B
Common Name
-
Synonyms
brown booby
Rank
species
Lineage
Show more ... rcopterygii; Dipnotetrapodomorpha; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Sauropsida; Sauria; Archelosauria; Archosauria; Dinosauria; Saurischia; Theropoda; Coelurosauria; Aves; Neognathae; Pelecaniformes; Sulidae; Sula
NCBI Taxonomy ID
is Taxon B an Infraspecies?
No
GENOTYPIC CHANGE
Generic Gene Name
MC1R
Synonyms
CMM5; MSH-R; SHEP2; MSHR
Sequence Similarities
Belongs to the G-protein coupled receptor 1 family.
UniProtKB
Homo sapiens
GenebankID or UniProtKB
Presumptive Null
No
Molecular Type
Aberration Type
SNP
SNP Coding Change
Nonsynonymous
Molecular Details of the Mutation
R112H
Experimental Evidence
Taxon A Taxon B Position
Codon - - -
Amino-acid - - -
Authors
Baião PC; Parker PG
Abstract
The melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) has been linked to intraspecific variation of melanin-based plumage color in several unrelated bird species. However, its involvement in interspecific variation has far less evidence. The Sulidae is a family in the Suliformes composed of 10 species of pelagic seabirds, distributed in 3 genera. There is significant variation in the amount and distribution of melanin pigments among species in the family Sulidae, and 2 species, the brown booby (Sula leucogaster) and the red-footed booby (S. sula), present plumage polymorphisms, with the latter being considered one of the most plumage polymorphic birds. We performed a survey of the MC1R evolution in 68 individuals representing all 9 species in the Sulidae, except the Abbott's booby, to determine the role played by this locus in explaining the melanic variation observed in the Sulidae. We found the amino acid substitution R112H to be in full concordance with the plumage color observed in the brown booby, which shows a unique phaeomelanin-dominant coloration. Furthermore, all amino acid residues known to be important for function at the MC1R were completely conserved in the Sulidae, except for the previously described V85M and H207R substitutions among the 2 red-footed booby's color morphs. A total of 14 substitutions were inferred from estimated ancestral nodes throughout the Sulidae phylogeny. Finally, we found evidence that the MC1R is under strong purifying selection in all Sulid species. This study provides additional evidence of the potential involvement of the MC1R in melanin-based plumage variation at the interspecific level.
Additional References
RELATED GEPHE
Related Genes
No matches found.
Related Haplotypes
No matches found.
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