Differential Expression analysis of microarray data for three migratory and one non-migratory bird as candidates of migratory and non-migratory species

One of the first issues for the management and conservation of birds is to discuss their migration. The migration is a complicated issue that can be considered and studied for various factors. One of these factors is genetic factors, which can be affected by the occurrence of a specific phenotype (migration). In this study, differential expression analysis of microarray data for four species performed, including three migratory species and one non-migratory species in 22 different samples, using downloaded data from the GEO database. At first, the quality control and normalization of downloaded data performed, and then discriminant analyses to observe the differential gene expression between species carried on. A significant difference was observed between the two groups of migrants and non-immigrants. Also, by applying the genome annotation and finding the names of the genes related to each probe, as well as defining significant criteria, the names of 40 genes with the highest and lowest expression in the Immigrant group compared to non-immigrant, obtained and reported. Then, by gene ontology analysis, it was determined that the genes of migratory and non-migratory birds in particular play which role in each group of biological processes, cellular components, and molecular function. Finally, according to the results, response to stress and anatomical structure of each group discussed, and five genes involved in migration’s catalytic activities were introduced.