Molecular Basis of Social Decision Making: Towards a Mechanistic View of Mate Choice

社会决策的分子基础：择偶的机械观点

• 批准号: 0843712
• 负责人: Johann Hofmann
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-06-15 至 2014-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0843712&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Molecular; Basis; Social; Decision; Making

How do females choose a mate? Female mate selection promotes population divergence and biodiversity, yet our understanding of how reproductive physiology affects mate selection and ultimately biodiversity is very limited. In this project, cichlid fishes from the East African Great Lakes will be used to unravel the behavioral, physiological and molecular underpinnings of the female reproductive cycle. Cichlids provide a unique opportunity to integrate the molecular and neural basis of female sexuality with the function of mate choice. The research will focus on the cichlid species Astatotilapia burtoni, which has become a major model system to study the physiological, molecular and genomic basis of social behavior, as well as the genus Xenotilapia, which exhibits an extraordinary diversity of mating systems in very closely related species. The three aims will (i) analyze the association of female sexual behavior with hormonal, morphological, and transcriptional changes throughout the reproductive cycle; (ii) test which transcriptional events in the forebrain are associated with mate choice decisions; and (iii) determine the effects of reproductive hormones on mate choice. By combining and integrating multiple levels of investigation and exploiting the spectacular biodiversity of cichlid fishes this project provides an exceptional opportunity to explain mate choice in pharmacological, neuroanatomical, physiological, molecular and genomic terms. This project will provide outstanding educational benefits to urban high school students, undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including members of underrepresented groups.

女性如何选择伴侣？雌性择偶促进了种群分化和生物多样性，但我们对生殖生理学如何影响择偶和最终生物多样性的理解非常有限。在这个项目中，来自东非五大湖的慈鲷鱼将被用来解开雌性生殖周期的行为，生理和分子基础。慈鲷提供了一个独特的机会，整合女性性行为的分子和神经基础与择偶功能。该研究将集中在慈鲷科物种Astatolapia burtoni，它已成为研究社会行为的生理，分子和基因组基础的主要模型系统，以及Xenotilapia属，它在非常密切相关的物种中表现出非凡的交配系统多样性。这三个目标将（i）分析女性性行为与整个生殖周期的激素，形态和转录变化的关联;（ii）测试前脑中哪些转录事件与配偶选择决策相关;（iii）确定生殖激素对配偶选择的影响。通过结合和整合多层次的调查和利用壮观的慈鲷鱼的生物多样性，该项目提供了一个特殊的机会来解释在药理学，神经解剖学，生理学，分子和基因组方面的配偶选择。该项目将为城市高中生、本科生、研究生和博士后研究员，包括代表性不足群体的成员提供出色的教育福利。