biostudies-literatureUnknown14Gillespie MJ<h4>Background</h4>The pigeon crop is specially adapted to produce milk that is fed to newly hatched young. The process of pigeon milk production begins when the germinal cell layer of the crop rapidly proliferates in response to prolactin, which results in a mass of epithelial cells that are sloughed from the crop and regurgitated to the young. We proposed that the evolution of pigeon milk built upon the ability of avian keratinocytes to accumulate intracellular neutral lipids during the cornification of the epidermis. However, this cornification process in the pigeon crop has not been characterised.<h4>Results</h4>We identified the epidermal differentiation complex in the draft pigeon genome scaffold and found that, like the chicken, it contained beta-keratin genes. These beta-keratin geBMC genomics169https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC3610128biostudies-literatureTranscriptome analysis of pigeon milk production - role of cornification and triglyceride synthesis genes.PMC3610128Nicholas KRHaring VRDonald JAGillespie MJMoore RJGreen DMonaghan PHarper JAWilson SLPayne JSCrowley TMStanley DfalseTranscriptome analysis of pigeon milk production - role of cornification and triglyceride synthesis genes.<h4>Background</h4>The pigeon crop is specially adapted to produce milk that is fed to newly hatched young. The process of pigeon milk production begins when the germinal cell layer of the crop rapidly proliferates in response to prolactin, which results in a mass of epithelial cells that are sloughed from the crop and regurgitated to the young. We proposed that the evolution of pigeon milk built upon the ability of avian keratinocytes to accumulate intracellular neutral lipids during the cornification of the epidermis. However, this cornification process in the pigeon crop has not been characterised.<h4>Results</h4>We identified the epidermal differentiation complex in the draft pigeon genome scaffold and found that, like the chicken, it contained beta-keratin genes. These beta-keratin ge2013-01-01T00:00:00Z2013 Mar2026-04-29T19:22:40.37Z2026-04-07T15:26:20.519ZS-EPMC36101282349700910.1186/1471-2164-14-169