Social Regulation of Gene Expression in Threespine Sticklebacks

Identifying genes that are differentially expressed in response to social interactions is informative for understanding the molecular basis of social behavior. To address this question, we described changes in gene expression as a result of differences in the extent of social interactions. We housed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-09, Vol.10 (9), p.e0137726-e0137726
Main Authors: Greenwood, Anna K, Peichel, Catherine L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Brain
Brain research
Cancer
Cell adhesion
Cerebellum
Diencephalon
Female
Females
Fish
Gene expression
Gene Expression Regulation - physiology
Gene sequencing
Genes
Genetic engineering
Genomes
Genomics
Hindbrain
Housing
Medical research
Molecular modelling
Reproductive behavior
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Smegmamorpha - genetics
Smegmamorpha - metabolism
Social Behavior
Social factors
Social interactions
Target recognition
Telencephalon
Zebrafish
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Summary:Identifying genes that are differentially expressed in response to social interactions is informative for understanding the molecular basis of social behavior. To address this question, we described changes in gene expression as a result of differences in the extent of social interactions. We housed threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) females in either group conditions or individually for one week, then measured levels of gene expression in three brain regions using RNA-sequencing. We found that numerous genes in the hindbrain/cerebellum had altered expression in response to group or individual housing. However, relatively few genes were differentially expressed in either the diencephalon or telencephalon. The list of genes upregulated in fish from social groups included many genes related to neural development and cell adhesion as well as genes with functions in sensory signaling, stress, and social and reproductive behavior. The list of genes expressed at higher levels in individually-housed fish included several genes previously identified as regulated by social interactions in other animals. The identified genes are interesting targets for future research on the molecular mechanisms of normal social interactions.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0137726