Genomic Organization, Transcriptomic Analysis, and Functional Characterization of Avian Alpha- and Beta-Keratins in Diverse Feather Forms

    August 2014 in “ Genome Biology and Evolution ”
    Chen Siang Ng, Ping Wu, Wen‐Lang Fan, Jie Yan, Chih-Kuan Chen, Yuting Lai, Siao-Man Wu, Chi-Tang Mao, Junjie Chen, Mei‐Yeh Jade Lu, Meng‐Ru Ho, Randall B. Widelitz, Chih‐Feng Chen, Cheng‐Ming Chuong, Wen‐Hsiung Li
    TLDR Feather diversity is due to different keratin gene combinations, and chickens can help study human keratin diseases.
    The study investigated the genomic organization and functional roles of α- and β-keratins in avian feathers using the chicken genome assembly (Galgal4). Transcriptomic analysis revealed that β-keratin gene expression varied across different feather types, while α-keratin expression was more consistent. In situ hybridization showed distinct expression patterns of keratins in feather components, suggesting that feather diversity is due to different combinations of keratin genes. The research provided insights into feather evolution and demonstrated that chickens could serve as a model for studying human keratin-based diseases, as mutations in chicken keratins led to abnormal phenotypes.
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