Molecular mechanisms underlying nuchal hump formation in dolphin cichlid, Cyrtocara moorii.

ABSTRACT: East African cichlid fishes represent a model to tackle adaptive changes and their connection to rapid speciation and ecological distinction. In comparison to bony craniofacial tissues, adaptive morphogenesis of soft tissues has been rarely addressed, particularly at the molecular level. The nuchal hump in cichlids fishes is one such soft-tissue and exaggerated trait that is hypothesized to play an innovative role in the adaptive radiation of cichlids fishes. It has also evolved in parallel across lakes in East Africa and Central America. Using gene expression profiling, we identified and validated a set of genes involved in nuchal hump formation in the Lake Malawi dolphin cichlid, Cyrtocara moorii. In particular, we found genes differentially expressed in the nuchal hump, which are involv

SUBMITTER: Lecaudey LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6937230 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature