Background:Teleosts display a spectacular diversity of craniofacial adaptations that often mediate ecological specializations. A considerable amount of research has revealed molecular players underlying skeletal craniofacial morphologies, but less is known about soft craniofacial phenotypes. Here we focus on a bizarre example of lip hypertrophy in the Lake Tangnayika cichlid, Gnathochromis permaxillaris, that is considered to be a dietary adaptation to suck invertebrates out of narrow crevices. In this study, we investigate the molecular and regulatory basis of lip development G. permaxillaris, using a comparative transcriptomic approach.
Results: We identified a gene regulatory network involved in tissue overgrowth and cellular hypertrophy, potentially associated with the formation of a locally restricted hypertrophic lip in a teleost fish species. Of particular interest were the increased expression level of apoda and fhl2, as well as reduced expression of cyp1a, gimap8, lama5 and rasal3, in the hypertrophic lip region which have been implicated in formation of lip structure in other vertebrates. Among the predicted upstream transcription factors, we found reduced expression foxp1 in the hypertrophic lip region, which is known to act as repressor of cell growth and proliferation and its function has been associated with hypertrophy of upper lip in human.
Conclusion: Our results provide a genetic foundation for future studies of molecular players shaping soft and exaggerated, but locally restricted, craniofacial morphological changes in fish and perhaps across vertebrates.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
No competing interests reported.
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
Loading...
Posted 16 Mar, 2021
On 15 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
On 18 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
Invitations sent on 14 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 27 Feb, 2021
Posted 16 Mar, 2021
On 15 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
Received 05 Apr, 2021
On 18 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
On 15 Mar, 2021
Invitations sent on 14 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 12 Mar, 2021
On 27 Feb, 2021
Background:Teleosts display a spectacular diversity of craniofacial adaptations that often mediate ecological specializations. A considerable amount of research has revealed molecular players underlying skeletal craniofacial morphologies, but less is known about soft craniofacial phenotypes. Here we focus on a bizarre example of lip hypertrophy in the Lake Tangnayika cichlid, Gnathochromis permaxillaris, that is considered to be a dietary adaptation to suck invertebrates out of narrow crevices. In this study, we investigate the molecular and regulatory basis of lip development G. permaxillaris, using a comparative transcriptomic approach.
Results: We identified a gene regulatory network involved in tissue overgrowth and cellular hypertrophy, potentially associated with the formation of a locally restricted hypertrophic lip in a teleost fish species. Of particular interest were the increased expression level of apoda and fhl2, as well as reduced expression of cyp1a, gimap8, lama5 and rasal3, in the hypertrophic lip region which have been implicated in formation of lip structure in other vertebrates. Among the predicted upstream transcription factors, we found reduced expression foxp1 in the hypertrophic lip region, which is known to act as repressor of cell growth and proliferation and its function has been associated with hypertrophy of upper lip in human.
Conclusion: Our results provide a genetic foundation for future studies of molecular players shaping soft and exaggerated, but locally restricted, craniofacial morphological changes in fish and perhaps across vertebrates.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Loading...