Genetics and neurobiology of aggression of Betta splendens

项目摘要/摘要 攻击性是一种竞争性的社会行为，动物利用这种行为来获取资源和 保护亲人。虽然众所周知，遗传变异会导致攻击性的个体差异，但我们非常清楚 对涉及的特定基因及其机制知之甚少。为了发现控制攻击性的基因， 申请者将利用暹罗斗鱼斗鱼(斗鱼斗鱼)的独特特征。极具攻击性 斗鱼是通过漫长的人工繁殖历史而产生的。他们的攻击性行为是 容易被视觉刺激触发，他们的激烈战斗一直持续到撤退或死亡。申请人 建议利用这些斗鱼，以及它们未被选中、攻击性较弱的野生鱼类来扩大 我们对攻击性背后的遗传和神经元基础的了解。在目标1(K99)中，申请人将 通过开发一本小说来描述野生斗鱼和斗鱼在打斗过程中的行为差异 行为测试和利用基于机器学习的工具进行行为分析。在目标2(K99)中， 申请者将发现与攻击性相关的变量，这些变量有助于与 功能扰动的互补作图方法和遗传工具。最后，在目标3(R00)中， 申请者将研究被映射的基因如何影响神经系统并通过 神经成像和电路追踪工具。 候选人和职业目标：申请者广泛的研究兴趣包括了解基因是如何 变异塑造神经系统来调节行为。拟议的研究活动将建立在 申请人在遗传学和基因组学方面有很强的背景，具备成像和电路跟踪方面的技能 技术，使得能够采用必要的跨学科方法来处理申请者的高度创新 研究问题。拟议的项目也将为申请者作为一个 独立研究人员，将计算、遗传和神经生物学领域结合在一起，创建大胆的 理解社会行为的新方法。 职业发展计划：这项工作的K99阶段将在哥伦比亚大学的扎克曼大脑中完成 由安德烈·S·本德斯基博士和弗兰克·波列克斯博士指导的行为研究所。此外， 候选人已经组建了一支由莫莉博士组成的非凡的顾问和合作者团队 Przeworski、Carolyn(Lindy)McBride、Vanessa Ruta和David Manuel Flores Gonçalves。申请人的 研究和向独立的过渡将受益于这个强大的指导团队，最先进的 ZMBBI的设施和基础设施，以及通过以下方式提供的大量专业发展资源 ZMBBI和哥伦比亚。

Project Summary / Abstract Project description: Aggression is a competitive social behavior that animals use to acquire resources and protect kin. While genetic variation is known to contribute to individual differences in aggression, we know very little about the specific genes involved and their mechanisms. To discover genes that regulate aggression, the applicant will exploit the unique features of the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens (betta). Highly aggressive fighting betta have been generated through a long history of artificial breeding. Their aggressive behaviors are easily triggered by visual stimuli, and their intense fighting continues until retreat or death. The applicant proposes to use these fighting fish, along with their unselected, less aggressive wild counterparts, to expand our knowledge of genetic and neuronal bases underlying aggression. In Aim 1 (K99), the applicant will characterize the behavioral differences between wild and fighting betta during fights by developing a novel behavioral test and utilizing machine-learning based tools for behavioral analyses. In Aim 2 (K99), the applicant will discover aggression-associated variants that contribute to the behavioral differences with complementary mapping methods and genetic tools for functional perturbation. Finally, in Aim 3 (R00), the applicant will probe how the mapped genes influence the nervous system and mediate aggression using neuronal imaging and circuit tracing tools. Candidate and career goals: The applicant’s broad research interests involve understanding how genetic variation shapes the nervous system to modulate behaviors. The proposed research activities will build upon the applicant’s strong background in genetics and genomics skillsets with imaging and circuit tracing techniques, enabling the interdisciplinary approach necessary to tackle the applicant’s highly innovative research questions. The proposed project will also lay the foundation for the applicant’s long-term goal as an independent researcher who brings computational, genetic, and neurobiological fields together to create bold new approaches for understanding social behavior. Career development plan: The K99 phase of this work will be done in Columbia’s Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute (ZMBBI) under the mentorship of Drs. Andrés Bendesky and Franck Polleux. In addition, the candidate has assembled an extraordinary team of advisors and collaborators, consisting of Drs. Molly Przeworski, Carolyn (Lindy) McBride, Vanessa Ruta, and David Manuel Flores Gonçalves. The applicant’s research and transition to independence will benefit from this strong mentorship team, the state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure at ZMBBI, and numerous Professional Development resources offered through ZMBBI and Columbia.