Foxp2 Mediates Sex Differences in Ultrasonic Vocalization by Rat Pups and Directs Order of Maternal Retrieval
Foxp2 Mediates Sex Differences in Ultrasonic Vocalization by Rat Pups and Directs Order of Maternal Retrieval
复制标题
DOI：
10.1523/jneurosci.0425-12.2013
复制
发表时间：
2013-02-20
影响因子：
5.3
通讯作者：
McCarthy, Margaret M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bowers, J. Michael;Perez-Pouchoulen, Miguel;McCarthy, Margaret M.
FOXP2基因是人类获得言语和语言以及鸟类和哺乳动物发声的核心。啮齿动物通过超声波发声（USVs）进行交流，新生的幼崽在与母体分离时发出痛苦的USVs，从而促进它们的检索。我们观察到，孤立的雄性大鼠幼鼠发出更多的USV呼叫，其特征在于与雌性大鼠幼鼠相比，频率和幅度显着降低。此外，母鼠更有可能首先将雄性幼崽带回巢穴，然后是雌性。Foxp2蛋白的量在发育中的雄性大脑的多个区域中显著高于雌性，并且通过siRNA减少大脑Foxp2消除了USV中的性别差异并改变了幼鼠检索的顺序。我们的研究结果暗示Foxp2作为哺乳动物声音交流性别差异的神经生物学基础的一个组成部分。我们将这些观察结果扩展到人类，据报道人类在语言习得方面存在性别差异，并发现4岁男孩左半球皮质中FOXP2蛋白的数量明显低于同龄女孩。
The FOXP2 gene is central to acquisition of speech and language in humans and vocal production in birds and mammals. Rodents communicate via ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and newborn pups emit distress USVs when separated from their dam, thereby facilitating their retrieval. We observed that isolated male rat pups emitted substantially more USV calls and these were characterized by a significantly lower frequency and amplitude compared with female rat pups. Moreover, the dam was more likely to first retrieve male pups back to the nest, then females. The amount of Foxp2 protein was significantly higher in multiple regions of the developing male brain compared with females and a reduction of brain Foxp2 by siRNA eliminated the sex differences in USVs and altered the order of pup retrieval. Our results implicate Foxp2 as a component of the neurobiological basis of sex differences in vocal communication in mammals. Weextended these observations to humans, a species reported to have gender differences in language acquisition, and found the amount of FOXP2 protein in the left hemisphere cortex of 4-year-old boys was significantly lower than in age-matched girls.