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Genomic structure and evolution of beta-defensin genes in the golden pheasant and hwamei

红腹锦鸡和画眉防御素基因的基因组结构与进化

  • Article
  • Life & Medical Sciences
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Science Bulletin

Abstract

Defensins play a vital role in the early stage of infection before adaptive immune responses are generated. Thus far, only limited detailed genomic data for avian defensin genes have been described. Here, using bacterial artificial chromosome libraries, we found that a 95 kb and 177 kb sequences in the golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus, Galliformes) and hwamei (Garrulax canorus, Passeriformes) corresponds to 16 and 30 defensin genes, respectively. Fluorescence in situ hybridization assigned defensin gene clusters in the golden pheasant and hwamei to chromosomes 2q and 3q, respectively. In combination with the previous chicken (Gallus gallus, Galliformes) and zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata, Passeriformes) defensin clusters, the comparative genomic analysis revealed that lineage-specific duplications and deletions have given rise to clearly different genomic structures. On the basis of genomic characteristics, we further found that transposable elements act as agents of evolution, causing direct and indirect copy number variations in defensin genes via duplications. Tissue expression analysis showed that the Passeriformes-specific duplicated AvBD1 and AvBD3 genes are mainly expressed in the upper and lower respiratory tract, tongue, and spleen. Our analyses indicate that the duplication-and-deletion of defensin genes conformed to the birth-and-death evolutionary process and that transposable elements induced the duplication of defensin genes. Moreover, the respiratory system-specific expression pattern of Passeriformes-specific expanded AvBD1 and AvBD3 genes suggests their important role in maintaining the singing trait of songbirds. The understanding of the genomic structure, expression, and evolution of defensin genes can provide a crucial immunological foundation to study and prevent avian diseases.

摘要

动物先天性免疫系统是病原入侵后遇到的第一道防线,而防御素是先天性免疫系统的重要组成部分。鸟类是传染性病原的重要宿主,其防御素基因的解析有助于阐明鸟类先天性免疫系统的防御机制。然而,有关鸟类防御素基因的研究却鲜见报道。本文解析了红腹锦鸡(鸡形目)和画眉(雀形目)两物种的95和177 kb的防御素基因家族,并结合已有的家鸡(鸡形目)和珍珠鸟(雀形目)防御素基因进行了比较基因组分析,发现鸟类防御素的基因组结构存在世系特异性;鸡形目的红腹锦鸡和家鸡的防御素基因较少,但雀形目的画眉和珍珠鸟的防御素基因却得到了显著膨胀。进一步的组织特异性表达结果表明,雀形目中被特异复制的防御素基因主要表达在上下呼吸道、舌头和脾脏,有助于降低鸣禽呼吸系统的疾病易感性。而且,特异性膨胀的防御素基因特异地表达在鸣禽的呼吸系统,提示防御素基因的膨胀与其鸣唱这一生物特性有关.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr SL Zhang (College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University) for constructive suggestions for improving the sensitivity of FISH. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31070334), a special grant from the State Forestry Administration, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife of the Ministry of Education, and State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Hui Chen, Mei-Ying Ma, Li Sun, Sheng-Guo Fang & Qiu-Hong Wan

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  1. Hui Chen
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  2. Mei-Ying Ma
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Correspondence to Qiu-Hong Wan.

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Chen, H., Ma, MY., Sun, L. et al. Genomic structure and evolution of beta-defensin genes in the golden pheasant and hwamei. Sci. Bull. 60, 679–690 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-015-0758-3

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