Meeting Abstract
Carotenoid pigmentation of many bird species plays an important role in sexual selection. To produce red pigments, birds ingest yellow dietary carotenoids and convert them into red ketocarotenoids via an oxidation reaction controlled by a previously unknown ketolase enzyme. Recent work done on canary and zebrafinch have discovered a candidate ketolase gene, CYP2J19, which showed differential expression between domestic breeds with or without red coloration. We investigated the role of CYP2J19 in a wild songbird, the house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), in which only males display intensive red carotenoid feather pigmentation. We successfully sequenced the CYP2J19 in house finch and compared the expression of CYP2J19 across tissues and sex during molting season. Our work provides novel insights into on the potential role of CYP2J19 in controlling production of red pigments and hence the expression of ornamental feather pigmentation in house finches.
