Understanding mechanisms of sex specification and phenotypes in an animal model

性别改变的濑鱼行为性别可塑性机制 行为性别表型背后的生物学过程尚未完全了解。 自然地经历性别转变以应对其社会环境变化的生物体 环境提供了很好的系统来研究性行为的机制 规范.蓝头濑鱼特别适合解决这个问题。成人 女性可以根据社会结构的变化改变性别。此外，行为性 转型可以迅速发生，从而提供了一个机会，调查 这种可塑性的神经生物学基础。我们建议进一步发展这一制度，作为一种模式， 探讨行为性别表型的可塑性机制。拟议的工作建立 我们的行为性转变的“启动/门控”假设;这个假设解释了 社会等级与转型能力的关系。我们的首要目标是 比较立即早期基因c-Fos和p-S6在求爱和非求爱中的表达， 求偶的鱼我们希望这些结果将进一步阐明控制神经元的神经回路。 雄性典型求偶行为的表现。为了测试这些回路在 求偶行为，我们计划离子导入谷氨酸， 区域和监测求偶相关的皮肤颜色的变化。我们的目标是确定 神经回路的特性，这些特性是经历行为性别转换的能力的基础。

Mechanisms of behavioral sex plasticity in sex-changing wrasses The biological processes that underlie behavioral sex phenotype are incompletely understood. Organisms that naturally undergo sex transformations in response to changes in their social environment provide excellent systems in which to investigate mechanisms of behavioral sex specification. Bluehead wrasses in particular are well suited for addressing this problem. Adult females can switch sex in response to changes in social structure. Further, behavioral sex transformation can occur rapidly, thereby providing an opportunity to investigate the neurobiological basis of this plasticity. We propose to further develop this system as a model for investigating mechanisms of plasticity of behavioral sex phenotype. The proposed work builds on our ‘priming/gating’ hypothesis of behavioral sex transformation; this hypothesis accounts for the relation between social rank and competency for transformation. Our first objective is to compare the expression of the immediate-early genes, c-Fos and p-S6, in courting and non- courting fish. We expect that results will further elucidate the neural circuits that control the expression of male-typical courtship behavior. To test for causal roles of these circuits in courtship behavior, we plan to iontophorese glutamate to discretely activate particular brain regions and monitor courtship-related changes in skin coloration. Our goal is to identify properties of neural circuits that underlie competency to undergo behavioral sex transformation.