Cytoskeletal signaling as a shared pathway for convergent genetic mechanisms underlying loss of flight in birds.

ABSTRACT: Loss of flight in birds is an adaptive feature of evolutionary processes. Morphological and physiological differences are known among flightless bird species; however, the genetic mechanisms behind them are largely unexplored. Notably, wild birds and poultry that have lost flight owing to evolution and domestication, respectively, show phenotypic convergence, suggesting that different selective pressures through the same genetic pathways may cause loss of flight in birds; however, little is known about the genetic basis of this potential commonality. In this study, we obtained genomes of 28 wild bird and 15 duck species, and conducted comparative genomics and whole-genome resequencing analyses, respectively, to investigate the genetic basis underlying loss of flight in birds. The results o

SUBMITTER: Zhao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12269630 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature