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Published on: November 13, 2013
Molecular shaping of the beak
Ping Wu1, Ting-Xin Jiang, Sanong Suksaweang
1Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Abstract:
Beak shape is a classic example of evolutionary diversification. Beak development in chicken and duck was used to examine morphological variations among avian species. There is only one proliferative zone in the frontonasal mass of chickens, but two in ducks. These growth zones are associated with bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) activity. By "tinkering" with BMP4 in beak prominences, the shapes of the chicken beak can be modulated.
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