Python bivittatus Transcriptome or Gene expression

Snakes provide a unique and valuable model system for studying the extremes of physiological remodeling, due to the ability of some species to rapidly up-regulate organ form and function upon feeding. The central model species for studying these responses has been the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus). In this study, we analyze the Burmese python intestine during such post-feeding remodeling along a series of time points to understand patterns of gene expression that underlie patterns in intestinal form and function during organ remodeling. Our results indicate a number of significant gene expression changes within the small intestine following feeding, including expression changes in candidate genes of known importance to intestinal function, such as those encoding for hydrolases, microvillus proteins, trafficking and transport proteins, and regulatory proteins. Much of this differential expression occurs early in the digestion process, with thousands of genes being up-regulated within the first six hours after feeding, and over 2,000 genes differentially expressed within 24 hours post-feeding. This study, including gene expression analysis coupled with physiological experiments on the Burmese python small intestine, indicate massive changes in gene expression that underlie this extreme phenotype that is so pronounced in snakes.