1
|
Bonasoni MP, Comitini G, Pati M, Bizzarri V, Barbieri V, Marinelli M, Caraffi SG, Zuntini R, Pollazzon M, Palicelli A, Garavelli L. Prenatal Array-CGH Detection of 3q26.32q26.33 Interstitial Deletion Encompassing the SOX2 Gene: Ultrasound, Pathological, and Cytogenetic Findings. Fetal Pediatr Pathol 2023; 42:979-989. [PMID: 37747279 DOI: 10.1080/15513815.2023.2261043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Background: SOX2 disorders are associated with anophthalmia-esophageal-genital syndrome or microphthalmia, syndromic 3 (MCOPS3- # 206900). Case Report: We describe a third fetal case with a de novo 3q26.32q26.33 deletion extending for 4.31 Mb, detected in a 15-week fetus. After legal interruption of pregnancy, at autopsy, the fetus presented bilateral microphthalmia, right cleft lip and palate, bilateral cerebral ventriculomegaly and dilated third ventricle, microcystic left lung, and intestinal malrotation. Histologically, the left lung showed congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) type 2. Retinal dysplasia was found in both eyes. Discussion/Conclusion: The human SOX2 gene (OMIM #184429) is located on chromosome 3 at position q26.3-27 and encodes a transcription factor involved in the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems, retina, and lung. In our case, the combination of cerebral, retinal, and pulmonary anomalies, not previously described, are consistent with SOX2 haploinsufficiency due to chromosomal deletion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giuseppina Comitini
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Mariangela Pati
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Veronica Bizzarri
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Veronica Barbieri
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Maria Marinelli
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Zuntini
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Marzia Pollazzon
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Andrea Palicelli
- Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Livia Garavelli
- Medical Genetics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chakraborty S, Kopitchinski N, Zuo Z, Eraso A, Awasthi P, Chari R, Mitra A, Tobias IC, Moorthy SD, Dale RK, Mitchell JA, Petros TJ, Rocha PP. Enhancer-promoter interactions can bypass CTCF-mediated boundaries and contribute to phenotypic robustness. Nat Genet 2023; 55:280-290. [PMID: 36717694 PMCID: PMC10758292 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01295-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
How enhancers activate their distal target promoters remains incompletely understood. Here we dissect how CTCF-mediated loops facilitate and restrict such regulatory interactions. Using an allelic series of mouse mutants, we show that CTCF is neither required for the interaction of the Sox2 gene with distal enhancers, nor for its expression. Insertion of various combinations of CTCF motifs, between Sox2 and its distal enhancers, generated boundaries with varying degrees of insulation that directly correlated with reduced transcriptional output. However, in both epiblast and neural tissues, enhancer contacts and transcriptional induction could not be fully abolished, and insertions failed to disrupt implantation and neurogenesis. In contrast, Sox2 expression was undetectable in the anterior foregut of mutants carrying the strongest boundaries, and these animals fully phenocopied loss of SOX2 in this tissue. We propose that enhancer clusters with a high density of regulatory activity can better overcome physical barriers to maintain faithful gene expression and phenotypic robustness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shreeta Chakraborty
- Unit on Genome Structure and Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nina Kopitchinski
- Unit on Genome Structure and Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Zhenyu Zuo
- Unit on Genome Structure and Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ariel Eraso
- Unit on Genome Structure and Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Parirokh Awasthi
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Raj Chari
- Laboratory Animal Sciences Program, Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Apratim Mitra
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ian C Tobias
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sakthi D Moorthy
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ryan K Dale
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer A Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Petros
- Unit on Cellular and Molecular Neurodevelopment, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pedro P Rocha
- Unit on Genome Structure and Regulation, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xiao Y, Jiao S, He M, Lin D, Zuo H, Han J, Sun Y, Cao G, Chen Z, Liu H. Chromatin conformation of human oral epithelium can identify orofacial cleft missing functional variants. Int J Oral Sci 2022; 14:43. [PMID: 36008388 PMCID: PMC9411193 DOI: 10.1038/s41368-022-00194-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are the most widely used method to identify genetic risk loci associated with orofacial clefts (OFC). However, despite the increasing size of cohort, GWASs are still insufficient to detect all the heritability, suggesting there are more associations under the current stringent statistical threshold. In this study, we obtained an integrated epigenomic dataset based on the chromatin conformation of a human oral epithelial cell line (HIOEC) using RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, H3K27ac ChIP-seq, and DLO Hi-C. Presumably, this epigenomic dataset could reveal the missing functional variants located in the oral epithelial cell active enhancers/promoters along with their risk target genes, despite relatively less-stringent statistical association with OFC. Taken a non-syndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO) GWAS data of the Chinese Han population as an example, 3664 SNPs that cannot reach the strict significance threshold were subjected to this functional identification pipeline. In total, 254 potential risk SNPs residing in active cis-regulatory elements interacting with 1 718 promoters of oral epithelium-expressed genes were screened. Gapped k-mer machine learning based on enhancers interacting with epithelium-expressed genes along with in vivo and in vitro reporter assays were employed as functional validation. Among all the potential SNPs, we chose and confirmed that the risk alleles of rs560789 and rs174570 reduced the epithelial-specific enhancer activity by preventing the binding of transcription factors related to epithelial development. In summary, we established chromatin conformation datasets of human oral epithelial cells and provided a framework for testing and understanding how regulatory variants impart risk for clefts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Xiao
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China.,Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shengbo Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Miao He
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China
| | - Da Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Huanyan Zuo
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiahao Han
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China
| | - Yonghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China.
| | - Huan Liu
- The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology & Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, 237 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, China. .,Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schock EN, LaBonne C. Sorting Sox: Diverse Roles for Sox Transcription Factors During Neural Crest and Craniofacial Development. Front Physiol 2020; 11:606889. [PMID: 33424631 PMCID: PMC7793875 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.606889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Sox transcription factors play many diverse roles during development, including regulating stem cell states, directing differentiation, and influencing the local chromatin landscape. Of the twenty vertebrate Sox factors, several play critical roles in the development the neural crest, a key vertebrate innovation, and the subsequent formation of neural crest-derived structures, including the craniofacial complex. Herein, we review the specific roles for individual Sox factors during neural crest cell formation and discuss how some factors may have been essential for the evolution of the neural crest. Additionally, we describe how Sox factors direct neural crest cell differentiation into diverse lineages such as melanocytes, glia, and cartilage and detail their involvement in the development of specific craniofacial structures. Finally, we highlight several SOXopathies associated with craniofacial phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth N. Schock
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Carole LaBonne
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Identification and expression of transcription factor sox2 in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea. Theriogenology 2018; 120:123-137. [PMID: 30118947 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
As an important transcription and pluripotency factor, Sox2 plays its functions essentially in the regulation of self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic and neural stem cells, as well as embryogenesis, organogenesis, neurogenesis and regeneration. The data is lacking on Sox2 in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) (Lc-Sox2) which is a limitation on the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this study, Lc-sox2 was cloned by RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) and analyzed by Bioinformatics. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) were used to detect the expression of Lc-sox2. The full-length cDNA sequence of Lc-sox2 is 2135 bp and encodes a 322-aa (amino acids). Lc-Sox2 possesses a highly conserved HMG-box as DNA-binding domain, maintains highly conserved with vertebrates, particularly with teleosts. In tissues, Lc-sox2 was expressed with gender difference in brain and eye (female > male), in embryos, Lc-sox2 was expressed with a zygotic type that the high level expression began to appear in the gastrula stage. The spatio-temporal expression patterns of Lc-sox2 suggested the potential involvement in embryogenesis, neurogenesis, gametogenesis and adult physiological processes of large yellow croaker. Our results contributed to better understanding of Sox2 from large yellow croaker.
Collapse
|
6
|
Cela P, Hampl M, Shylo NA, Christopher KJ, Kavkova M, Landova M, Zikmund T, Weatherbee SD, Kaiser J, Buchtova M. Ciliopathy Protein Tmem107 Plays Multiple Roles in Craniofacial Development. J Dent Res 2017; 97:108-117. [PMID: 28954202 DOI: 10.1177/0022034517732538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A broad spectrum of human diseases called ciliopathies is caused by defective primary cilia morphology or signal transduction. The primary cilium is a solitary organelle that responds to mechanical and chemical stimuli from extracellular and intracellular environments. Transmembrane protein 107 (TMEM107) is localized in the primary cilium and is enriched at the transition zone where it acts to regulate protein content of the cilium. Mutations in TMEM107 were previously connected with oral-facial-digital syndrome, Meckel-Gruber syndrome, and Joubert syndrome exhibiting a range of ciliopathic defects. Here, we analyze a role of Tmem107 in craniofacial development with special focus on palate formation, using mouse embryos with a complete knockout of Tmem107. Tmem107-/- mice were affected by a broad spectrum of craniofacial defects, including shorter snout, expansion of the facial midline, cleft lip, extensive exencephaly, and microphthalmia or anophthalmia. External abnormalities were accompanied by defects in skeletal structures, including ossification delay in several membranous bones and enlargement of the nasal septum or defects in vomeronasal cartilage. Alteration in palatal shelves growth resulted in clefting of the secondary palate. Palatal defects were caused by increased mesenchymal proliferation leading to early overgrowth of palatal shelves followed by defects in their horizontalization. Moreover, the expression of epithelial stemness marker SOX2 was altered in the palatal shelves of Tmem107-/- animals, and differences in mesenchymal SOX9 expression demonstrated the enhancement of neural crest migration. Detailed analysis of primary cilia revealed region-specific changes in ciliary morphology accompanied by alteration of acetylated tubulin and IFT88 expression. Moreover, Shh and Gli1 expression was increased in Tmem107-/- animals as shown by in situ hybridization. Thus, TMEM107 is essential for proper head development, and defective TMEM107 function leads to ciliary morphology disruptions in a region-specific manner, which may explain the complex mutant phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Cela
- 1 Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, CAS, Brno, Czech Republic.,2 Department of Physiology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Hampl
- 1 Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, CAS, Brno, Czech Republic.,3 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - N A Shylo
- 4 Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - K J Christopher
- 4 Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - M Kavkova
- 5 CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Landova
- 1 Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, CAS, Brno, Czech Republic.,3 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - T Zikmund
- 5 CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - S D Weatherbee
- 4 Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - J Kaiser
- 5 CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Buchtova
- 1 Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, CAS, Brno, Czech Republic.,3 Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Watanabe M, Kawasaki K, Kawasaki M, Portaveetus T, Oommen S, Blackburn J, Nagai T, Kitamura A, Nishikawa A, Kodama Y, Takagi R, Maeda T, Sharpe PT, Ohazama A. Spatio-temporal expression of Sox genes in murine palatogenesis. Gene Expr Patterns 2016; 21:111-8. [PMID: 27241892 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Members of the Sox gene family play critical roles in many biological processes including organogenesis. We carried out comparative in situ hybridisation analysis of seventeen Sox genes (Sox1-14, 17, 18 and 21) during murine palatogenesis from initiation to fusion of the palatal shelves above the dorsal side of the tongue. At palatal shelf initiation (E12.5), the localized expression of six Sox genes (Sox2, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13) was observed in the shelves, whereas Sox4 and Sox11 showed ubiquitious expression. During the down-growth of palatal shelves (E13.5), Sox4, Sox5, and Sox9 exhibited restricted expression to the interior side of the palatal shelves facing the tongue. Following elevation of the palatal shelves (E14.5), Sox2, Sox11 and Sox21 expression was present in the midline epithelial seam. We thus identify dynamic spatio-temporal expression of Sox gene family during the process of palatogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Momoko Watanabe
- Division of Oral Anatomy, Department of Oral Biological Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan; Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Katsushige Kawasaki
- Division of Oral Anatomy, Department of Oral Biological Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan; Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK; Oral Life Science, Research Center for Advanced Oral Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Maiko Kawasaki
- Division of Oral Anatomy, Department of Oral Biological Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan; Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Thantrira Portaveetus
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Shelly Oommen
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - James Blackburn
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Takahiro Nagai
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kitamura
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Atsushi Nishikawa
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yasumitsu Kodama
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ritsuo Takagi
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Health Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takeyasu Maeda
- Division of Oral Anatomy, Department of Oral Biological Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Paul T Sharpe
- Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Atsushi Ohazama
- Division of Oral Anatomy, Department of Oral Biological Science, Niigata University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan; Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology, Dental Institute, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London Bridge, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wilkins AS, Wrangham RW, Fitch WT. The "domestication syndrome" in mammals: a unified explanation based on neural crest cell behavior and genetics. Genetics 2014; 197:795-808. [PMID: 25024034 PMCID: PMC4096361 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.114.165423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 344] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Charles Darwin, while trying to devise a general theory of heredity from the observations of animal and plant breeders, discovered that domesticated mammals possess a distinctive and unusual suite of heritable traits not seen in their wild progenitors. Some of these traits also appear in domesticated birds and fish. The origin of Darwin's "domestication syndrome" has remained a conundrum for more than 140 years. Most explanations focus on particular traits, while neglecting others, or on the possible selective factors involved in domestication rather than the underlying developmental and genetic causes of these traits. Here, we propose that the domestication syndrome results predominantly from mild neural crest cell deficits during embryonic development. Most of the modified traits, both morphological and physiological, can be readily explained as direct consequences of such deficiencies, while other traits are explicable as indirect consequences. We first show how the hypothesis can account for the multiple, apparently unrelated traits of the syndrome and then explore its genetic dimensions and predictions, reviewing the available genetic evidence. The article concludes with a brief discussion of some genetic and developmental questions raised by the idea, along with specific predictions and experimental tests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam S Wilkins
- Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa Institute of Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University zu Berlin, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|