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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

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Evolution of the functionally conserved DCC gene in birds.

Cedric Patthey¹, Yong Guang Tong¹, Christine Mary Tait¹

¹Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, 901-87 Umeå, Sweden.

Scientific Reports

|February 28, 2017

Summary

The DCC gene, crucial for neural development, was independently lost twice in bird evolution. Surprisingly, this loss did not alter neural pathway development, highlighting gene evolution flexibility.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Neuroscience
Genomics

Background:

Conserved genes are vital for understanding phenotypic diversity.
The DCC gene encodes a neural guidance receptor critical for neurodevelopment.
DCC disruption causes significant neurodevelopmental defects, including in commissural axon formation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary history of the DCC gene in birds.
To understand the impact of DCC gene loss or accelerated evolution on neural development in avian species.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomic analysis of the DCC locus across diverse bird species.
Phylogenetic analysis to trace gene loss events.
Phenotypic analysis of neural development, specifically commissural axon trajectories.

Main Results:

The DCC locus has undergone independent losses multiple times during avian evolution.
DCC gene loss was observed in chicken and zebra finch, but not in ducks.
Commissural axon trajectories remained largely consistent despite DCC presence or absence.
Salvaged genes within the disrupted locus showed accelerated evolution rates.

Conclusions:

The DCC locus is prone to genomic instability, leading to recurrent independent disruptions in birds.
Loss or rapid evolution of DCC can occur without apparent changes in commissural axon development.
This study provides insights into the molecular evolution of conserved genes and phenotypic plasticity.