Evolved tooth gain in sticklebacks is associated with a cis-regulatory allele of Bmp6.

ABSTRACT: Developmental genetic studies of evolved differences in morphology have led to the hypothesis that cis-regulatory changes often underlie morphological evolution. However, because most of these studies focus on evolved loss of traits, the genetic architecture and possible association with cis-regulatory changes of gain traits are less understood. Here we show that a derived benthic freshwater stickleback population has evolved an approximate twofold gain in ventral pharyngeal tooth number compared with their ancestral marine counterparts. Comparing laboratory-reared developmental time courses of a low-toothed marine population and this high-toothed benthic population reveals that increases in tooth number and tooth plate area and decreases in tooth spacing arise at late juvenile stages. Gen

SUBMITTER: Cleves PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4183278 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature