The EDA receptor (EDAR) is a candidate gene for lateral plate number variation in stickleback fish

Variation in lateral plating in stickleback fish represents a classical example of rapid and parallel adaptation in morphology. The underlying genetic architecture involves polymorphism at the ectodysplasin-A (EDA) gene. However, lateral plate number is influenced by additional loci that remain poorly characterized. Here we search for such loci by performing genome-wide differentiation mapping based on pooled whole-genome sequence data from a European stickleback population variable in the extent of lateral plating, while tightly controlling for the phenotypic effect of EDA. This suggests a new candidate locus, the EDA receptor (EDAR) gene, for which additional support is obtained by individual-level targeted Sanger sequencing and by comparing allele frequencies among natural populations. Overall, our study illustrates the power of pooled whole-genome sequencing for searching phenotypically relevant loci and opens opportunities for exploring the population genetics and ecological signif...

刺鱼侧骨板的变异是形态学上快速平行适应的经典案例。其潜在的遗传结构涉及外异蛋白A（ectodysplasin-A，EDA）基因的多态性。然而，侧骨板数量还受其他尚未明确表征的基因座影响。本研究通过基于欧洲刺鱼种群混合全基因组序列数据的全基因组分化图谱分析来寻找这些基因座——该种群的侧骨板发育程度存在变异，同时严格控制EDA的表型效应。这提示了一个新的候选基因座——EDA受体（EDAR）基因；通过个体水平的靶向桑格测序以及比较自然种群间的等位基因频率，我们获得了进一步的支持证据。总体而言，本研究展示了混合全基因组测序在寻找表型相关基因座方面的潜力，并为探索种群遗传学及生态意义...