Journal
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
Volume 26, Issue 16, Pages 4173-4185Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mec.14177
Keywords
climate change; gene expression; Lepus americanus; RNA sequencing; seasonal coat colour change
Funding
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FEDER-COMPETE) [PTDC/BIA-EVF/115069/2009]
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [PTDC/BIA-EVF/1624/2014, FCT-ANR/BIA-EVF/0250/2012]
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (POPH-QRENESF) [IF/00033/2014/CP1256/CT0005, PD/BD/108131/2015, SFRH/BD/115089/2016]
- ON. 2 - O Novo Norte (National Strategic Reference Framework)
- National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology [0841884]
- Fundacao Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento
- M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
- NIH Instrumentation [S10RR029668, S10RR027303]
- European Union FP7 [286431]
- ON. 2 - O Novo Norte (ERDF)
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese MCTES) [IF/00033/2014/CP1256/CT0005, PD/BD/108131/2015, SFRH/BD/115089/2016]
- Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portuguese National Funds) [PTDC/BIA-EVF/115069/2009]
- University of Montana
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [IF/00033/2014/CP1256/CT0005, PTDC/BIA-EVF/1624/2014, PD/BD/108131/2015, SFRH/BD/115089/2016, PTDC/BIA-EVF/115069/2009, FCT-ANR/BIA-EVF/0250/2012] Funding Source: FCT
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Seasonal coat colour change is an important adaptation to seasonally changing environments but the evolution of this and other circannual traits remains poorly understood. In this study, we use gene expression to understand seasonal coat colour moulting in wild snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). We used hair colour to follow the progression of the moult, simultaneously sampling skin from three moulting stages in hares collected during the peak of the spring moult from white winter to brown summer pelage. Using RNA sequencing, we tested whether patterns of expression were consistent with predictions based on the established phases of the hair growth cycle. We found functionally consistent clustering across skin types, with 766 genes differentially expressed between moult stages. White pelage showed more differentially expressed genes that were upregulated relative to other skin types, involved in the transition between late telogen (quiescent stage) and the onset of anagen (proliferative stage). Skin samples from transitional intermediate and brown pelage were transcriptionally similar and resembled the regressive transition to catagen (regressive stage). We also detected differential expression of several key circadian clock and pigmentation genes, providing important means to dissect the bases of alternate seasonal colour morphs. Our results reveal that pelage colour is a useful biomarker for seasonal change but that there is a consistent lag between the main gene expression waves and change in visible coat colour. These experiments establish that developmental sampling from natural populations of non-model organisms can provide a crucial resource to dissect the genetic basis and evolution of complex seasonally changing traits.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available