The role of gene regulatory evolution in weapon diversification: Insights from comparative genomics, chromatin profiling, and functional analyses of BMP signaling in horned beetles.

Gene regulatory interactions involving BMP signaling are linked to horn shape and size diversification in two closely related beetle species.

• Why it matters: Understanding how gene regulation contributes to phenotypic diversity is crucial for revealing mechanisms of evolutionary adaptation, especially in traits like horns that are used in reproductive competition.
• What they did: The study compared gene regulatory properties in horn tissue of two beetle species, analyzing chromatin accessibility, regulatory elements, and functional roles of BMP pathway proteins across different sexes and nutritional states, identifying mutational and lineage-specific regulatory changes.
• The result: Findings suggest that labile cis-regulatory interactions can evolve rapidly alongside condition-specific trait diversification, potentially modifying conserved developmental pathways such as BMP signaling in horn evolution.