Sexually Dimorphic Sail Feathers in the Mandarin Duck as a Model for Lifelong Developmental Modulation

October 2025 in “ Scientific Reports ”

Pin‐Chi Tang, Hsu‐Chen Cheng, Gee‐Way Lin, Yung‐Chih Lai, Ya‐Chen Liang, Ping Wu, Tzu‐Ping Lin, Chen Siang Ng, Isheng Jason Tsai, Ang Li, Wen‐Hsiung Li, Chih-Feng Chen, Cheng‐Ming Chuong, Randall B. Widelitz

estrogen receptor H3K27ac ChIP-seq transcriptome morphogen expression epigenetic regulation hormonal cues vertebrate integumentary systems estrogen hormones

Studysummary This study investigated the Mandarin duck as a model for understanding lifelong developmental changes, finding that male sail feather morphogenesis involves a combination of local morphogenetic programs, epigenetic regulation, and hormonal cues, with increased female estrogen levels observed before the mating season.

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