Abstract
Feathers are considered to be one of the most complex integumentary organs. The diverse morphology of a feather has made it a popular platform for investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms for regional specificity, periodical patterning, organ shaping, and regeneration over the past two decades. Paleontological findings on feathered dinosaurs and Mesozoic birds have led to the identification of some unusual and unexpected intermediate or extinct feather forms, which can all be categorically called “protofeathers”. From the primitive protofeathers, every evolutionary novel step increases feather diversity and help the species adapt to diverse eco-spaces. Although it is compelling to trace the origin of morphological evolution, the proposed evolutionary transformations are constrained by the limited understanding of developmental mechanisms. In this chapter, we review some recent advances toward the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these processes. We discuss how these mechanisms provide a basis for evolutionary novel steps to occur, as well as how the complexity of feather types increases successively. The important questions include the regional specification of feather tracts, the formation of periodically arranged feather buds and their anterior-posterior orientation, the formation of feather follicles, and the establishment of cyclic regeneration with clustered stem cells and dermal papilla. Within each follicle, the cylindrical feather filament undergoes branching morphogenesis. Because each follicle can have its own form, even on the same bird, complexity emerges with differential arrangement of radially symmetric barb branches, rachis and bilateral symmetric feather forms, medial-lateral asymmetric feather vanes, and pennaceous/plumulaceous regionalization along the proximal-distal axis. Each feather form has a functional implication for adaptation, and different forms can be produced under hormonal and seasonal regulation. Thus, collectively, the enormously diverse plumage patterns (the increased biological traits) of the avian integument are made possible by adaptive evolution.
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Acknowledgement
This work was supported by a Dragon Gate grant from the Taiwan Ministry of Science Technology (MOST) 104-2911-I-002-577 and US NIH Grants AR47364, AR60306, and GM125322. GW. L. was supported by a Taiwan MOST postdoctoral fellowship. A. L. was supported by a CIRM fellowship. We thank Dr. Shuo Wang for reviewing this manuscript.
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Lin, GW., Li, A., Chuong, CM. (2020). Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Feather Development Provide a Basis for the Diverse Evolution of Feather Forms. In: Foth, C., Rauhut, O. (eds) The Evolution of Feathers. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27223-4_2
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