About this Research Topic
Animal genomes encoded a vast and complex set of biological instructions that inform the developmental, anatomical and physiological phenotypes. These phenotypes ultimately give rise to the desirable and undesirable traits observed in production animals, and form the foundation of artificial selection processes to further refine these phenotypes. The focus on artificial selection, selective sweeps, signatures of selection and production animal phenotypes provides a rich and interesting intersection to further understand how genomes give rise to physiological traits and the diverse biological processes required to achieve them. The goal of this special research topic is to explore the vast genomic mechanisms that control animal phenotypes and highlight the specific variations that underlie them. An increased understanding of how genomes encode selection will undoubtedly facilitate an increased understanding of the molecular and biochemical phenotypes that inform the tissue and organ phenotypes at the organism level.
Submissions must include a focus on genomic signals related to specific phenotypes highlighting specific connections between the biochemical, molecular, and cellular processes and their resulting impact at the animal level. Topics related to any of the following topics / themes are welcomed:
• Adaptation / selection by altered gene expression regulation
• Adaptation to husbandry conditions Cellular / molecular adaption
• Characterization of enhancers / promoters
• Chromosome evolution Embryonic adaptation
• Embryonic genotyping
• Functional single nucleotide polymorphisms
• Genes associated with adaptation
• Genetic engineering
• Genome wide association studies
• Genome-wide detection of positive/selection
• Genomic editing in production medicine
• Genomic evidence of rapid adaptation / selection
• Genomic selection strategies
• Genotypes / haplotypes/ alleles associated with phenotypes of interest
• Genotyping
• High through-put genomic selection
• High throughput phenotyping Identification of molecular mechanisms
• Identification of regions underlying positive selection
• Identifying loci under positive selection Insertions/deletions implicated in selection
• Loss of heterozygosity / runs of homozygosity
• Methods of identifying genetic signatures
• Molecular mechanisms associated with traits of interest
• Morphological phenotypes
• Multi-locus selection
• Polygenic selection
• Polygenic traits
• Regulation of gene expression
• Reproductive phenotypes
• RNA sequencing / transcriptomics
• Selection across signalling pathways
• Selection and the genes associated with selected phenotypes
• Selection associated with climate change
• Selection for behavioral / cognitive / emotional phenotypes
• Selection for fitness in extreme environments
• Selection for increased/decreased disease/pathogen susceptibility/resistance
• Selection that improves animal welfare
• Signatures of positive selection
• Studies investigating the evidence for selection
• Whole genome sequencing / re-sequencing
Keywords: genomic signature, genomic footprint, selective sweep, phenotype, positive selection, artificial selection
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.