DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Neuromolecular Basis of Cooperative Behavior

论文研究：合作行为的神经分子基础

• 批准号: 1601734
• 负责人: Johann Hofmann
• 金额: $ 2.02万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-01 至 2017-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601734&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Neuromolecular; Basis; Cooperative

Cooperative behavior, where individuals act together for a shared benefit, is common across the animal kingdom. Research on cooperation has provided compelling explanations as to why and how cooperation evolved; for example, why vampire bats regurgitate food to feed hungry roost-mates, or why marmots risk survival to warn neighbors about predators. Despite this ultimate understanding of cooperation, almost nothing is known about the physiological mechanisms influencing cooperative behavior, such as which genes and brain regions are involved. Furthermore, the extent to which the mechanisms underlying cooperation are similar across species is unknown. This research will provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying cooperative behavior and how these mechanisms evolve. Given that humans exhibit some of the most complex forms of cooperative behavior of any species, insight into the causes and origins of cooperation will offer insight into the human condition. Why and how animals cooperate is of interest to a broad audience. As such, the results of the work will be communicated through several public outreach programs, including an internship program for high school students. In addition, the collaborative nature of this research provides unique educational opportunities to students in the US and to international students who otherwise would not be exposed to integrative and genomic approaches in brain and behavior research. Although cooperative behavior is widespread in animals, and its function and evolution are well understood, the neuromolecular underpinnings of cooperation have not been examined in any detail. Using brain region specific transcriptomic analyses, the proposed research addresses two fundamental questions: (1) the extent to which patterns of gene expression, or gene modules, modulate individual variation in cooperative behavior, and (2) the degree of molecular convergence for shared traits across species. The well-studied cleaner-client mutualism in fishes, where 'cleaner' fish service 'client' fish by removing ectoparasites and dead tissue their mouths, will be used to identify the neuromolecular correlates of cooperative behavior. Specifically, to identify gene modules associated with cooperation, and its evolution, the transcriptomes from two brain regions from wild-caught cleaner wrasses (from species pairs of cleaners and non-cleaners, where cooperation has evolved independently) will be analyzed: the amygdala for its role in emotional processing and the hippocampus for its role in social cognition. The results of this innovative study will provide for the first time insights into the neuromolecular basis of cooperation. Furthermore, the proposed work will inform our understanding of behavioral evolution by integrating both ultimate and proximate mechanisms, and will provide insight into whether neuromolecular mechanisms constrain or facilitate the evolution of behavioral phenotypes.

合作行为，即个体为了共同利益而共同行动，在动物王国中很常见。关于合作的研究提供了令人信服的解释，解释了合作为何以及如何进化；例如，为什么吸血蝙蝠会反刍食物来喂养饥饿的同伴，或者为什么土拨鼠冒着生存危险警告邻居有捕食者。尽管对合作有了最终的理解，但对于影响合作行为的生理机制，比如哪些基因和大脑区域参与其中，我们几乎一无所知。此外，跨物种的合作机制在多大程度上是相似的尚不清楚。这项研究将为合作行为背后的机制以及这些机制如何演变提供新的见解。考虑到人类在所有物种中表现出一些最复杂的合作行为形式，对合作的原因和起源的深入了解将有助于对人类状况的深入了解。动物合作的原因和方式引起了广大读者的兴趣。因此，这项工作的结果将通过包括高中生实习计划在内的几个公共宣传项目进行宣传。此外，这项研究的合作性质为美国学生和国际学生提供了独特的教育机会，否则他们将无法接触到大脑和行为研究中的整合和基因组方法。尽管合作行为在动物中广泛存在，其功能和进化也已被很好地理解，但合作的神经分子基础尚未得到详细研究。利用脑区特异性转录组学分析，该研究解决了两个基本问题：(1)基因表达模式或基因模块在多大程度上调节合作行为中的个体差异；(2)跨物种共享特征的分子趋同程度。“清洁鱼”通过清除口腔外寄生虫和死亡组织为“客户”提供服务，这将被用于识别合作行为的神经分子关联。具体来说，为了确定与合作及其进化相关的基因模块，将分析野生清洁鱼（来自清洁和非清洁物种对，合作是独立进化的）的两个大脑区域的转录组：杏仁核在情绪处理中的作用和海马体在社会认知中的作用。这项创新研究的结果将首次提供对合作的神经分子基础的见解。此外，这项工作将通过整合最终和近似机制来帮助我们理解行为进化，并将为神经分子机制是否限制或促进行为表型的进化提供见解。