Transcriptome sequencing of chicken and duck beaks

The power of any genotype-phenotype mapping approach ultimately depends on whether the identified genetic variants correspond to genes with demonstrable roles in the developmental processes that shape the target traits. We generated bulk RNAseq, single cell and spatial transcriptomic data from multiple embryonic stages (HH29, HH30, HH36 and HH38) for beak buds and whole embryos to evaluate whether candidate genes are functionally enriched in the cellular and molecular programs regulating beak morphogenesis.