SGER: Distinguishing the Genomics of Female Mate Choice from Receptivity: a Test with Swordtails

Molly CummingsIOS-0813742 SGER：区分女性择偶的基因组学和接受性：一个用剑尾鱼做的测试这个提议的主要目的是剖析女性择偶行为的哪一部分是由激素驱动的，而不是大脑中的其他神经和基因通路。 多年来，生殖生物学家已经了解了激素如何影响女性的交配意愿。 然而，我们对激素如何影响女性在选择生殖伴侣时的选择知之甚少。 这项研究将使用一种性选择的模型动物系统，剑尾鱼，来识别择偶事件中的神经反应，并检测这种反应的哪一部分是由激素（如雌激素）驱动的，以及哪一部分是不依赖性的。 研究人员将在Cummings实验室早期工作的基础上，确定参与偏好行为的候选基因。研究人员将首先进行一项行为研究，检查一组剑尾鱼雌性的激素，候选基因表达和偏好行为之间的关系。 然后，研究人员将通过雌激素操纵实验来测试特定基因是否独立于激素调节偏好行为。 剑尾鱼雌性的雌激素水平将被阻断或增强，随后将量化它们的偏好和基因表达。 如果配偶偏好独立于接受性，那么这些操作对偏好行为或偏好相关基因表达的影响应该很小。 这些结果将为选择配偶的神经和基因组通路提供新的见解，以及一些行为和/或基因组通路在多大程度上受到激素的影响。 这项创新的研究将影响动物行为，进化和生殖生物学领域。 教育的影响是广泛的，因为PI将这项研究整合到她的本科课程中，并招募了一些少数民族学生到她的实验室进行行为和分子研究。

Molly CummingsIOS-0813742SGER: Distinguishing the genomics of female mate choice from receptivity: a test with swordtailsThe main objective of this proposal is to dissect what part of female mate choice behavior is driven by hormones versus other neural and genomic pathways in the brain. For years, reproductive biologists have understood how hormones influence female willingness to mate. However, we know far less about how hormones influence female choice when selecting between reproductive partners. This study will use a model animal system in sexual selection, the swordtail fish, to identify the neural response during mate choice events and to detect what part of that response is driven by hormones, such as estrogen, and what is hormone-independent. The researchers will build on earlier work in the Cummings lab that has identified candidate genes involved in preference behavior.The researchers will first conduct a behavioral study that examines the relationship between hormones, candidate gene expression, and preference behavior in a group of swordtail females. The researchers will then test whether specific genes regulate preference behavior independent of hormones by conducting an estrogen-manipulation experiment. Swordtail females will have their estrogen levels blocked or augmented and their preference and gene expression subsequently will be quantified. If mate preference is independent from receptivity, then these manipulations should have little effect on preference behavior or preference-associated gene expression. The results will provide novel insights into the neural and genomic pathways that are specific to choosing mates, and to what degree some of the behavior and/or genomic pathways are under hormonal influence. This innovative study will affect the fields of Animal Behavior, Evolution, and Reproductive Biology. The educational impacts are broad, as the PI integrates this research into her undergraduate classes as well as recruits a number of minority students into her lab to conduct the behavioral and molecular research.