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Zebra finch: the companion papers for the publication of the zebra finch genome sequence

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an attractive species to study the neurobiology and evolution of learned behavior, the biology of vocal communication and other aspects of development, evolution and ecology. In this special series we include companion articles to the whole genome sequence.

  1. The epidermal appendages of reptiles and birds are constructed of beta (β) keratins. The molecular phylogeny of these keratins is important to understanding the evolutionary origin of these appendages, especia...

    Authors: Matthew J Greenwold and Roger H Sawyer
    Citation: BMC Evolutionary Biology 2010 10:148
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  2. The degradome -the complete repertoire of proteases in an organism- is involved in multiple key biological and pathological processes. Previous studies in several organisms have yielded sets of curated proteas...

    Authors: Víctor Quesada, Gloria Velasco, Xose S Puente, Wesley C Warren and Carlos López-Otín
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2010 11:220
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  3. In order to understand patterns of adaptation and molecular evolution it is important to quantify both variation in gene expression and nucleotide sequence divergence. Gene expression profiling in non-model or...

    Authors: Robert Ekblom, Christopher N Balakrishnan, Terry Burke and Jon Slate
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2010 11:219
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  4. Genetic linkage maps are essential tools when searching for quantitative trait loci (QTL). To maximize genome coverage and provide an evenly spaced marker distribution a combination of different types of genet...

    Authors: Alexander D Ball, Jessica Stapley, Deborah A Dawson, Tim R Birkhead, Terry Burke and Jon Slate
    Citation: BMC Genomics 2010 11:218
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  5. Steroids affect many tissues, including the brain. In the zebra finch, the estrogenic steroid estradiol (E2) is especially effective at promoting growth of the neural circuit specialized for song. In this species...

    Authors: Sarah E London, Yuichiro Itoh, Valentin A Lance, Petra M Wise, Preethika S Ekanayake, Randi K Oyama, Arthur P Arnold and Barney A Schlinger
    Citation: BMC Neuroscience 2010 11:47
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  7. Due to its high polymorphism and importance for disease resistance, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been an important focus of many vertebrate genome projects. Avian MHC organization is of parti...

    Authors: Christopher N Balakrishnan, Robert Ekblom, Martin Völker, Helena Westerdahl, Ricardo Godinez, Holly Kotkiewicz, David W Burt, Tina Graves, Darren K Griffin, Wesley C Warren and Scott V Edwards
    Citation: BMC Biology 2010 8:29
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  8. Among songbirds, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an excellent model system for investigating the neural mechanisms underlying complex behaviours such as vocal communication, learning and social interacti...

    Authors: Fang Xie, Sarah E London, Bruce R Southey, Suresh P Annangudi, Andinet Amare, Sandra L Rodriguez-Zas, David F Clayton and Jonathan V Sweedler
    Citation: BMC Biology 2010 8:28
    Content type: Research article Published on:

  9. An international collaborative effort has recently uncovered the genome of the zebra finch, a songbird model that has provided unique insights into an array of biological phenomena.

    Authors: Raphael Pinaud
    Citation: Journal of Biology 2010 9:19
    Content type: Minireview Published on: