Study Links Sonic Hedgehog Pathway to Evolution of Feathers from Dinosaurs
Researchers recreated proto-feather-like structures in chicken embryos by inhibiting the Shh pathway, revealing insights into feather evolution and genetic resilience.
- The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway plays a critical role in feather development, influencing outgrowth, branching, and invagination in chickens.
- Inhibiting the Shh pathway in chicken embryos led to the temporary formation of unbranched, proto-feather-like structures resembling early dinosaur feathers.
- Feather development demonstrated remarkable resilience, partially recovering by day 14 of embryonic development, with dormant follicles reactivating post-hatching to produce normal plumage.
- Feathers evolved from simple tubular proto-feathers in dinosaurs around 200 million years ago, with potential earlier origins in a common ancestor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
- The study highlights the evolutionary robustness of genetic networks and advances understanding of how proto-feathers and other morphological novelties emerged.
Cosmos 
IFLScience 
Interesting Engineering 
ScienceDaily 
Tech Explorist 