Revealing the impacts on shaping scutate scales in goose skin

Feather follicles and scales are two types of skin appendages distributed on different parts of avian skin. The morphogenesis and development of scales in waterfowl remain largely unknown. Here, we used H&E staining, ISH and RNA sequencing to reveal the morphological and molecular variations at the early development of scutate scales in goose shank skin. Transcriptome analysis produced 1824 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulating the induction of scales and further enriched gene function in cell adhesion and Wnt signaling pathway, etc. A total of 8 candidate genes (ALDOC, CSRP2, KRT15, KRT75, LGALS1, S100A6, OGN and SFRP2) were further detected by RT-qPCR to show upregulated (6 genes) and downregulated (2 genes) from pre-placodal to placode stage during the induction of goose scales. The localization of 7 candidate genes (ALDOC, CSRP2, CD109, KRT15, KRT75, S100A6, and OGN) by ISH suggests the potential roles for dermal and epidermal development during the induction of scutate scales. The dynamic molecular changes and specific gene expression patterns revealed in this report provide general knowledge of scale development in waterfowl as well as skin appendage diversity.