It is hence no wonder that the MC1R has been described as providing a unique window on the genetics of evolution. The phenotypic effects of the MC1R, however, do not stop at colouration, but it has been proposed that this gene might also affect behavior, immune function, the nervous system and stress response. The MC1R has recently been established as a key gene causally explaining colour variation in many vertebrates, with single amino acid substitutions sometimes having dramatic phenotypic effects. High MC1R activity leads to increased synthesis of eumelanin, whereas low activity leads to increased synthesis of phaeomelanin. Over the last decade, one particular component of the melanin synthesis pathway has become the focus of attention, the melanocortin-1 receptor gene ( MC1R) which encodes a seven-pass transmembrane G protein coupled receptor. Variation in plumage pigmentation has been documented in over 300 taxonomically diverse bird species and is often causally linked to melanins, either the black to brown eumelanin or the yellow to reddish-brown phaeomelanin. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.Įxplaining the tremendous variation in plumage colouration in birds has been a prominent research focus across a wide range of fields including sexual selection, speciation, sexual dimorphism and the evolution of plumage polymorphism. was funded by the Deutsche 422 Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through a Heisenberg-Professorship (KR 2089/2-1). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.įunding: O.K. Received: OctoAccepted: DecemPublished: January 29, 2014Ĭopyright: © 2014 Hoffman et al. PLoS ONE 9(1):Įditor: Kevin McGraw, Arizona State University, United States of America They also contribute towards a growing body of evidence suggesting that care should be taken to quantify, and where necessary control for, population structure in association studies.Ĭitation: Hoffman JI, Krause ET, Lehmann K, Krüger O (2014) MC1R Genotype and Plumage Colouration in the Zebra Finch ( Taeniopygia guttata): Population Structure Generates Artefactual Associations. Our results are consistent with a previous study that found no association between MC1R polymorphism and plumage coloration in leaf warblers. ![]() No significant associations were detected in the resulting offspring, suggesting that our original findings were a byproduct of genome-wide divergence. ![]() We therefore crossed wild type with white individuals and backcrossed the F1s with white birds. ![]() To provide a control, the birds were genotyped at eight microsatellites and subjected to Bayesian cluster analysis, revealing two distinct groups. Allelic counts differed significantly between the two plumage morphs at multiple segregating sites, but these were mostly synonymous. We explored the role of the MC1R in a model avian system by sequencing the coding region in 162 zebra finches comprising 79 wild type and 83 white individuals from five stocks. However, the potentially confounding influence of population structure has rarely been controlled for. Polymorphisms at the melanocortin-1 receptor ( MC1R) gene have been linked to coloration in many vertebrate species.
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