Systematic Identification and Evolution Analysis of <i>Sox</i> Genes in <i>Coturnix japonica</i> Based on Comparative Genomics

• Main Authors: Lan Jiang, De Bi, Hengwu Ding, Xuan Wu, Ran Zhu, Juhua Zeng, Xiaojun Yang, Xianzhao Kan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Genes
• Subjects: SOX; gene family; HMG-box; Japanese quail; genomics
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/4/314

<i>Coturnix japonica</i> (Japanese quail) has been extensively used as a model animal for biological studies. The <i>Sox</i> gene family, which was systematically characterized by a high-mobility group (HMG-box) in many animal species, encodes transcription factors that play central roles during multiple developmental processes. However, genome-wide investigations on the <i>Sox</i> gene family in birds are scarce. In the current study, we first performed a genome-wide study to explore the <i>Sox</i> gene family in galliform birds. Based on available genomic sequences retrieved from the NCBI database, we focused on the global identification of the <i>Sox</i> gene family in <i>C. japonica</i> and other species in Galliformes, and the evolutionary relationships of <i>Sox</i> genes. In our result, a total of 35 <i>Sox</i> genes in seven groups were identified in the <i>C. japonica</i> genome. Our results also revealed that dispersed gene duplications contributed the most to the expansion of the <i>Sox</i> gene family in Galliform birds. Evolutionary analyses indicated that <i>Sox</i> genes are an ancient gene family, and strong purifying selections played key roles in the evolution of <i>CjSox</i> genes of <i>C. japonica.</i> More interestingly, we observed that most <i>Sox</i> genes exhibited highly embryo-specific expression in both gonads. Our findings provided new insights into the molecular function and phylogeny of <i>Sox</i> gene family in birds.