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Recuerda M, Campagna L. How structural variants shape avian phenotypes: Lessons from model systems. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17364. [PMID: 38651830 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Despite receiving significant recent attention, the relevance of structural variation (SV) in driving phenotypic diversity remains understudied, although recent advances in long-read sequencing, bioinformatics and pangenomic approaches have enhanced SV detection. We review the role of SVs in shaping phenotypes in avian model systems, and identify some general patterns in SV type, length and their associated traits. We found that most of the avian SVs so far identified are short indels in chickens, which are frequently associated with changes in body weight and plumage colouration. Overall, we found that relatively short SVs are more frequently detected, likely due to a combination of their prevalence compared to large SVs, and a detection bias, stemming primarily from the widespread use of short-read sequencing and associated analytical methods. SVs most commonly involve non-coding regions, especially introns, and when patterns of inheritance were reported, SVs associated primarily with dominant discrete traits. We summarise several examples of phenotypic convergence across different species, mediated by different SVs in the same or different genes and different types of changes in the same gene that can lead to various phenotypes. Complex rearrangements and supergenes, which can simultaneously affect and link several genes, tend to have pleiotropic phenotypic effects. Additionally, SVs commonly co-occur with single-nucleotide polymorphisms, highlighting the need to consider all types of genetic changes to understand the basis of phenotypic traits. We end by summarising expectations for when long-read technologies become commonly implemented in non-model birds, likely leading to an increase in SV discovery and characterisation. The growing interest in this subject suggests an increase in our understanding of the phenotypic effects of SVs in upcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Recuerda
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Leonardo Campagna
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Fernandes AC, da Silva VH, Goes CP, Moreira GCM, Godoy TF, Ibelli AMG, Peixoto JDO, Cantão ME, Ledur MC, de Rezende FM, Coutinho LL. Genome-wide detection of CNVs and their association with performance traits in broilers. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:354. [PMID: 34001004 PMCID: PMC8130382 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07676-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Copy number variations (CNVs) are a major type of structural genomic variants that underlie genetic architecture and phenotypic variation of complex traits, not only in humans, but also in livestock animals. We identified CNVs along the chicken genome and analyzed their association with performance traits. Genome-wide CNVs were inferred from Affymetrix® high density SNP-chip data for a broiler population. CNVs were concatenated into segments and association analyses were performed with linear mixed models considering a genomic relationship matrix, for birth weight, body weight at 21, 35, 41 and 42 days, feed intake from 35 to 41 days, feed conversion ratio from 35 to 41 days and, body weight gain from 35 to 41 days of age. Results We identified 23,214 autosomal CNVs, merged into 5042 distinct CNV regions (CNVRs), covering 12.84% of the chicken autosomal genome. One significant CNV segment was associated with BWG on GGA3 (q-value = 0.00443); one significant CNV segment was associated with BW35 (q-value = 0.00571), BW41 (q-value = 0.00180) and BW42 (q-value = 0.00130) on GGA3, and one significant CNV segment was associated with BW on GGA5 (q-value = 0.00432). All significant CNV segments were verified by qPCR, and a validation rate of 92.59% was observed. These CNV segments are located nearby genes, such as KCNJ11, MyoD1 and SOX6, known to underlie growth and development. Moreover, gene-set analyses revealed terms linked with muscle physiology, cellular processes regulation and potassium channels. Conclusions Overall, this CNV-based GWAS study unravels potential candidate genes that may regulate performance traits in chickens. Our findings provide a foundation for future functional studies on the role of specific genes in regulating performance in chickens. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07676-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Carolina Fernandes
- Department of Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Henrique da Silva
- Department of Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Carolina Purcell Goes
- Department of Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
| | | | - Thaís Fernanda Godoy
- Department of Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil
| | | | - Jane de Oliveira Peixoto
- Embrapa Suínos e Aves: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Suínos e Aves, Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Maurício Egídio Cantão
- Embrapa Suínos e Aves: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Suínos e Aves, Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Mônica Corrêa Ledur
- Embrapa Suínos e Aves: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Suínos e Aves, Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
- Department of Animal Science, University of São Paulo (USP), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ), Piracicaba, São Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil.
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