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
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    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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    The study explores the Mandarin duck's sexually dimorphic sail feathers as a model for lifelong developmental modulation, highlighting their capacity for seasonal transformation in males. Researchers identified asymmetric morphogen expression in male sail feathers and used transcriptome and H3K27ac ChIP-seq to analyze male and female signaling pathways. The study found enriched estrogen receptor binding motifs in females and noted a rise in female estrogen levels before the mating season. These findings suggest that sail feathers integrate morphogenetic programs, epigenetic regulation, and hormonal cues to achieve sexually dimorphic and seasonally dynamic feather morphogenesis, providing a framework for further study of regeneration and hormonal plasticity in vertebrate integumentary systems.
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