EAGER: Does Genomic Imprinting and DNA Methylation Modulate Nasonia Behavior?

大脑中基因活动的变化是如何影响行为灵活性的？一种表观遗传机制，DNA甲基化，会造成基因表达的暂时变化。DNA甲基化还会导致基因活性的变化，这种变化会从父母传递给后代，称为基因组印记。基因组印迹和DNA甲基化在行为调控中的作用将以被广泛应用于害虫生物防治的拟寄虫和行为遗传学的新兴模型系统为研究对象。印记的研究将考察范围广泛的行为，包括活动水平、分散、攻击、求爱和宿主选择。使用高通量测序，大脑和身体之间甲基化和基因活性（表达）的差异将被测量为生物体的整套基因。实验还将测试导致DNA甲基化的基因活性的部分“敲低”是否会导致代际和代际的行为和行为基因活性的变化。最后，控制基因杂交将测试父母是否通过通过卵子和精子传递的DNA修饰来影响后代的行为。与其他几项专注于一种行为的研究相比，这项针对更典型的昆虫物种群和多种行为的研究将使我们能够确定DNA甲基化在各种分类群中调节不同生物行为的常见方法的频率，甲基化在行为灵活性中的作用有多可变，以及这些影响在几代人中传播的频率。为了促进基于发现的学习，该项目将整合到行为遗传学研究方法的本科课程中。由于拟寄生虫会杀死害虫，因此该项目可以更好地了解这些重要昆虫的行为是如何调节的，从而改进生物害虫控制方法。

How do changes in the activity of genes in the brain contribute to behavioral flexibility? One epigenetic mechanism, DNA methylation, creates temporary changes in gene expression. DNA methylation can also lead to changes in gene activity that are passed from parent to offspring called genomic imprinting. The role of genomic imprinting and DNA methylation in modulating behavior will be investigated using Nasonia, a parasitoid insect used widely in biological control of pests and an emerging model system for behavioral genetics. A wide range of behaviors will be examined for imprinting, including activity level, dispersal, aggression, courtship and host choice. Using high throughput sequencing differences in methylation and gene activity (expression) between brain and body will be measured for the entire set of genes of the organism. Experiments will also test whether partial "knockdown" of the activity of genes that cause DNA methylation leads to changes in behavior and behavioral gene activity within and across generations. Finally, controlled genetic crosses will test whether parents influence the behavior of their offspring through DNA modifications passed through egg and sperm. By comparison to the few other studies on focusing on one behavior, this study on a more typical insect species group and multiple behaviors will allow us to determine how frequently DNA methylation is a common method of modulating behavior in different organisms across a wide variety of taxa, how variable the role of methylation in behavioral flexibility is and how often these effects carry across generations. To advance discovery based learning, the project will be integrated into an undergraduate course on research methods in behavioral genetics. Because parasitoids kill pest insects, the project could lead to improved methods of biological pest control due to a better understanding of how behavior is regulated in these important insects.