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Hipster chickens鈥� secret is out: now we know how they get their beards.
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鈥淭he Huiyang bearded chicken is a famous local breed,鈥� says Xiaoxiang Hu at the China Agricultural University in Beijing.
When his team searched for the genes that control development of beards in chickens they found that a mutation turns on the HoxB8 gene in the skin cells of a chicken鈥檚 chin. The gene makes them grow long feathers to form a handsome beard. They also develop mutton chops called 鈥渕uffs鈥� to go along with it.
Hox genes first became famous for their role in regulating spine and limb growth in animals from fish to the great apes.
If HoxB8 controls feathers on these chickens鈥� faces, it鈥檚 possible that Hox genes are responsible for more than just an animal鈥檚 basic body plan, says Cheng-Ming Chuong of the University of Southern California.
Perhaps some control external body characteristics like skin and feathers, says Chuong, including the plumage of showy species like birds of paradise and peacocks.
It could also mean that those genes guide patterns of skin and hair in humans, too. 鈥淚 think Hox genes are a good candidate,鈥� he says. 鈥淗umans really are not that different from chickens.鈥�
showed that some Hox genes guide hair development in mice. 鈥淚n understanding the mechanisms that build feathers, we鈥檙e gaining some insight into what builds hair,鈥� says 听at Kennesaw State University.听鈥淚 would be surprised if we didn鈥檛 find some roles for Hox in hair.鈥�
Journal reference: PLoS Genetics, DOI:
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