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Cited by 24Developmental Biology and Gene RegulationZebrafish Biomedical Research ApplicationsFish Biology and Ecology Studies

Gene expression profiling suggests differences in molecular mechanisms of fin elongation between cichlid species

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Ahi, Ehsan Pashay, Richter, Florian, Lecaudey, Laurène Alicia, Sefc, Kristina M.·2019·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-45599-wPMC PMC6588699
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Abstract

Comparative analyses of gene regulation inform about the molecular basis of phenotypic trait evolution. Here, we address a fin shape phenotype that evolved multiple times independently across teleost fish, including several species within the family Cichlidae. In a previous study, we proposed a gene regulatory network (GRN) involved in the formation and regeneration of conspicuous filamentous elongations adorning the unpaired fins of the Neolamprologus brichardi. Here, we tested the members of this network in the blockhead cichlid, Steatocranus casuarius, which displays conspicuously elongated dorsal and moderately elongated anal fins. Our study provided evidence for differences in the anatomy of fin elongation and suggested gene regulatory divergence between the two cichlid species. Only a subset of the 20 genes tested in S. casuarius showed the qPCR expression patterns predicted from the GRN identified in N. brichardi, and several of the gene-by-gene expression correlations differed between the two cichlid species. In comparison to N. brichardi, gene expression patterns in S. casuarius were in better (but not full) agreement with gene regulatory interactions inferred in zebrafish. Within S. casuarius, the dorsoventral asymmetry in ornament expression was accompanied by differences in gene expression patterns, including potential regulatory differentiation, between the anal and dorsal fin.

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  • In previous studies of East African cichlids, both foxd3 and foxp1 were found to act upstream of a gene network involved in exaggerated fin elongation.

    “In previous studies of East African cichlids, both foxd3 and foxp1 were found to act upstream of a gene network involved in exaggerated fin elongation (Pashay Ahi & Sefc 2018; Ahi et al. 2019).”

    From Parallel molecular mechanisms underlie convergent evolution of the exaggerated snout phenotype in East African cichlids (2022) · cites this paper as Ahi et al. 2019

    The Introduction identifies both foxd3 and foxp1 as potential upstream regulators of a gene network involved in the ornamental fin phenotype. It gives stronger expression-based support for foxd3 as a main upstream regulator in N. brichardi, but does not establish that foxp1 acts upstream; the claim presents a proposed role as a finding. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ahi, E. P., Richter, F., Lecaudey, L. A., & Sefc, K. M.
Affiliations
  • Uppsala University (SE)
  • University of Graz (AT)
Corresponding author
Ahi, Ehsan Pashay
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2019-06-21
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
9052-9052
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-019-45599-w
PMC
PMC6588699
OpenAlex
W2950184306
Cited by
24
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3
FWCI
1.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
Funders
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
Keywords
cichlid fish, gene regulatory networks, gene expression profiling, fin regeneration, anal fin, dorsal fin
MeSH terms
Animals, Female, Male, Species Specificity, Gene Expression Profiling, Cichlids, Gene Regulatory Networks, Animal Fins

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