Integrating behavior, hormones and genes associated with the primate HPA-axis

在群居物种中，压力相互作用是普遍存在的，因此建立适当的行为和生理应激反应对于个体维持内部稳态至关重要。脊椎动物在应激反应中激活的中枢信号通路是hpa -轴。虽然对人类的实验研究开始将与hpa轴相关的基因变异与个体应激反应联系起来，但在非人类灵长类动物中，遗传对个体应激反应的影响在很大程度上被忽视了。对非人类灵长类动物进行的少数研究也采用了实验设置，主要集中在单个候选基因上，而不是筛选与hpa轴功能相关的几个基因位点。在这个项目中，我们将使用非侵入性方法研究遗传倾向如何影响生活在泰国自然栖息地的野生阿萨姆猕猴（Macaca assamensis）对自然发生的压力源的行为和内分泌反应。首先，我们将通过对参与hpa轴活性的19个基因的50个多态性进行基因分型来确定hpa相关基因的变异。其次，我们将结合来自四个社会群体的成年雄性个体的详细行为数据与个体hpa相关的遗传设置，将基因变异与行为风格联系起来。第三，我们将把hpa相关基因变异与成年男性对自然发生的社会和环境压力的生理应激反应联系起来。总之，这些数据将有助于更全面地了解包括人类在内的灵长类动物形成应激反应的因素。

In social species stressful interactions are pervasive and thus mounting an adequate behavioral and physiological stress response is crucial for an individual to maintain internal homeostasis. The central signaling pathway activated in response to stress in vertebrates is the HPA-axis. While experimental studies on humans started to link variation in genes associated with the HPA-axis to individual stress responsiveness, genetic influences on individual stress reactivity have been largely neglected in non-human primates. The few studies conducted on nonhuman primates also used experimental setups and mostly focussed on single candidate genes, rather than screening several gene loci related to HPA-axis functioning. In this project using non-invasive methods we will investigate how genetic predispositions shape the behavioral and endocrine response to naturally occurring stressors in individually known wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) living in their natural habitat in Thailand. First, we will determine the variation in HPA-related genes by genotyping 50 polymorphisms in 19 genes involved in HPA-axis activity. Second, we will combine detailed behavioral data from individual adult males from four social groups with individual HPA-related genetic setup to link gene variants to behavioral styles. Third, we will link HPA-related gene variants to physiological stress-responsiveness towards naturally occurring social and environmental stressors in adult males. Together, these data will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors shaping stress responsiveness in primates including humans.