Vasoactive intestinal peptide as a mediator of the effects of a supergene on social behaviour
Vasoactive intestinal peptide as a mediator of the effects of a supergene on social behaviour
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2020.0196
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发表时间：
2020-04-08
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Maney, Donna L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Horton, Brent M.;Michael, Christina M.;Maney, Donna L.
超基因，或一起遗传的相关等位基因组，为理解基因-行为关系提供了极好的机会。在白喉麻雀（斑鸠）中，第二条染色体上的一个超基因与更具攻击性和更少亲代的表型相关。这种超基因包括血管活性肠肽（VIP）基因，这是一种已知在攻击性和亲代行为中起因果作用的神经肽。在这里，我们使用一个自由生活的种群，比较了有和没有超基因的鸟类的VIP mRNA水平。我们将重点放在下丘脑前部和漏斗区，这两个大脑区域包含VIP神经元，已知分别在攻击和亲代行为中起因果作用。首先，我们发现超基因增强了下丘脑前部VIP的表达，并且该表达在两性中独立于基因型积极预测声音攻击。接下来，我们发现该超基因降低了婴儿漏斗区VIP的表达，这表明泌乳素（一种亲亲代激素）的分泌减少。因此，VIP在这两个区域的表达模式与携带超基因等位基因的鸟类的攻击性增强和亲本行为减少是一致的。我们的研究结果说明了基因组结构元素的机制，如超基因，可以促进替代行为表型的进化。
Supergenes, or linked groups of alleles that are inherited together, present excellent opportunities to understand gene-behaviour relationships. In white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis), a supergene on the second chromosome associates with a more aggressive and less parental phenotype. This supergene includes the gene for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide known to play a causal role in both aggression and parental behaviour. Here, using a free-living population, we compared the levels of VIP mRNA between birds with and without the supergene. We focused on the anterior hypothalamus and infundibular region, two brain regions containing VIP neurons known to play a causal role in aggression and parental behaviour, respectively. First, we show that the supergene enhances VIP expression in the anterior hypothalamus and that expression positively predicts vocal aggression independently of genotype in both sexes. Next, we show that the supergene reduces VIP expression in the infundibular region, which suggests reduced secretion of prolactin, a pro-parental hormone. Thus, the patterns of VIP expression in these two regions are consistent with the enhanced aggression and reduced parental behaviour of birds with the supergene allele. Our results illustrate mechanisms by which elements of genomic architecture, such as supergenes, can contribute to the evolution of alternative behavioural phenotypes.