The transcriptional state and chromatin landscape of cichlid jaw shape variation across species and environments

• DOI: 10.1111/mec.16975
• Publication Date: 2023-05-11T00:18:32Z
• Authors: Emily Tetrault; John Swenson; Ben Aaronson; Chelsea Marcho; R. Craig Albertson
• Keywords: Cichlid

Abstract Adaptive phenotypes are shaped by a combination of genetic and environmental forces, but how they interact remains poorly understood. Here, we utilize the cichlid oral jaw apparatus to better understand these gene‐by‐environment effects. First, employed RNA‐seq in bony ligamentous tissues important for opening identify differentially expressed genes between species across foraging environments. We used two Lake Malawi adapted different habitats along pelagic–benthic ecomorphological axis. Our treatments were designed force animals employ either suction or biting/scraping, which broadly mimic pelagic benthic modes feeding. found large number species, while identified relatively few differences environments, far more pronounced when challenged with versus mode. Expression data carried signature assimilation, implicated cell cycle regulation shaping Next, repeated experiment performed ATAC‐seq procedures on nuclei harvested from same tissues. Cross‐referencing results both analyses revealed subsets that accessible. This reduced dataset notable candidate including Hedgehog effector, KIAA0586 ETS transcription factor, etv4 , connects stress craniofacial morphogenesis. Taken together, provide novel insights into epigenetic, cellular bases species‐ environment‐specific bone shapes.