Differences in human and chimpanzee gene expression patterns define an evolving network of transcription factors in brain

Humans differ from other primates by marked differences in cognitive abilities and a significantly larger brain. These differences correlate with metabolic changes, as evidenced by the relative up-regulation of energy-related genes and metabolites in human brain. While the mechanisms underlying thes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2009-12, Vol.106 (52), p.22358-22363
Main Authors: Nowick, Katja, Gernat, Tim, Almaas, Eivind, Stubbs, Lisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological Sciences
Brain
Brain - metabolism
Changes
Chimpanzees
Differences
Energy metabolism
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
Gene expression
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Regulatory Networks
Genes
Genomes
Humans
Hyperlinks
Models, Genetic
Models, Neurological
Monkeys & apes
Pan troglodytes
Pan troglodytes - genetics
Pan troglodytes - metabolism
Primates
Species Specificity
Transcription factors
Transcription Factors - genetics
Transcription Factors - metabolism
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Summary:Humans differ from other primates by marked differences in cognitive abilities and a significantly larger brain. These differences correlate with metabolic changes, as evidenced by the relative up-regulation of energy-related genes and metabolites in human brain. While the mechanisms underlying these evolutionary changes have not been elucidated, altered activities of key transcription factors (TFs) could play a pivotal role. To assess this possibility, we analyzed microarray data from five tissues from humans and chimpanzees. We identified 90 TF genes with significantly different expression levels in human and chimpanzee brain among which the rapidly evolving KRAB-zinc finger genes are markedly over-represented. The differentially expressed TFs cluster within a robust regulatory network consisting of two distinct but interlinked modules, one strongly associated with energy metabolism functions, and the other with transcription, vesicular transport, and ubiquitination. Our results suggest that concerted changes in a relatively small number of interacting TFs may coordinate major gene expression differences in human and chimpanzee brain.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0911376106