Expression levels of the tetratricopeptide repeat protein gene <i>ttc39b</i> covary with carotenoid-based skin colour in cichlid fish.

ABSTRACT: Carotenoid pigments play a major role in animal body colouration, generating strong interest in the genes involved in the metabolic processes that lead from their dietary uptake to their storage in the integument. Here, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to test for differentially expressed genes in a taxonomically replicated design using three pairs of related cichlid fish taxa from the genera Tropheus and Aulonocara. Within each pair, taxa differed in terms of red and yellow body colouration, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses of skin extracts revealed different carotenoid profiles and concentrations across the studied taxa. Five genes were differentially expressed in all three yellow-red skin contrasts (dhrsx, nlrc3, tcaf2, ura

SUBMITTER: Ahi EP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7728679 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature