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Bailey ML, Nixon C, Rusch DB, Buechlein A, Rosvall KA, Bentz AB. Maternal social environment shapes yolk testosterone allocation and embryonic neural gene expression in tree swallows. Horm Behav 2024; 163:105561. [PMID: 38759417 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Offspring from females breeding in competitive social environments are often exposed to more testosterone (T) during embryonic development, which can affect traits from growth to behavior in potentially adaptive ways. Despite the important role of maternally derived steroids in shaping offspring development, the molecular mechanisms driving these processes are currently unclear. Here, we use tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to explore the effects of the maternal social environment on yolk T concentrations and genome-wide patterns of neural gene expression in embryos. We measured aggressive interactions among females breeding at variable densities and collected their eggs at two timepoints, including the day laid to measure yolk T concentrations and on embryonic day 11 to measure gene expression in whole brain samples. We found that females breeding in high-density sites experienced elevated rates of physical aggression and their eggs had higher yolk T concentrations. A differential gene expression and weighted gene co-expression network analysis indicated that embryos from high-density sites experienced an upregulation of genes involved in hormone, circulatory, and immune processes, and these gene expression patterns were correlated with yolk T levels and aggression. Genes implicated in neural development were additionally downregulated in embryos from high-density sites. These data highlight how early neurogenomic processes may be affected by the maternal social environment, giving rise to phenotypic plasticity in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Leigh Bailey
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Cameron Nixon
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Aaron Buechlein
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | | | - Alexandra B Bentz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA; Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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Cornil CA, Balthazart J. Contribution of birds to the study of sexual differentiation of brain and behavior. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105410. [PMID: 37567061 PMCID: PMC10543621 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral neuroendocrinology has largely relied on mammalian models to understand the relationship between hormones and behavior, even if this discipline has historically used a larger diversity of species than other fields. Recent advances revealed the potential of avian models in elucidating the neuroendocrine bases of behavior. This paper provides a review focused mainly on the contributions of our laboratory to the study of sexual differentiation in Japanese quail and songbirds. Quail studies have firmly established the role of embryonic estrogens in the sexual differentiation of male copulatory behavior. While most sexually differentiated features identified in brain structure and physiology result from the different endocrine milieu of adults, a few characteristics are organized by embryonic estrogens. Among them, a sex difference was identified in the number and morphology of microglia which is not associated with sex differences in the concentration/expression of neuroinflammatory molecules. The behavioral role of microglia and neuroinflammatory processes requires further investigations. Sexual differentiation of singing in zebra finches is not mediated by the same endocrine mechanisms as male copulatory behavior and "direct" genetic effect, i.e., not mediated by gonadal steroids have been identified. Epigenetic contributions have also been considered. Finally sex differences in specific aspects of singing behavior have been identified in canaries after treatment of adults with exogenous testosterone suggesting that these aspects of song are differentiated during ontogeny. Integration of quail and songbirds as alternative models has thus expanded understanding of the interplay between hormones and behavior in the control of sexual differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate (Bat. B36), 4000 Liège, Belgium.
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 15 Avenue Hippocrate (Bat. B36), 4000 Liège, Belgium
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Sullivan O, Ciernia AV. Work hard, play hard: how sexually differentiated microglia work to shape social play and reproductive behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:989011. [PMID: 36172465 PMCID: PMC9510374 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.989011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglia are brain-resident immune cells that play a critical role in synaptic pruning and circuit fine-tuning during development. In the adult brain, microglia actively survey their local environment and mobilize inflammatory responses to signs of damage or infection. Sex differences in microglial gene expression and function across the lifespan have been identified, which play a key role in shaping brain function and behavior. The levels of sex hormones such as androgens, estrogens, and progesterone vary in an age-dependent and sex-dependent manner. Microglia respond both directly and indirectly to changes in hormone levels, altering transcriptional gene expression, morphology, and function. Of particular interest is the microglial function in brain regions that are highly sexually differentiated in development such as the amygdala as well as the pre-optic and ventromedial hypothalamic regions. With a focus on hormone-sensitive developmental windows, this review compares male and female microglia in the embryonic, developing, and adult brain with a particular interest in the influence of sex hormones on microglial wiring of social, reproductive, and disordered behavior circuits in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Sullivan
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Annie Vogel Ciernia
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Annie Vogel Ciernia
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Sex differences in immune gene expression in the brain of a small shorebird. Immunogenetics 2022; 74:487-496. [PMID: 35084547 PMCID: PMC8792134 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-022-01253-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Males and females often exhibit differences in behaviour, life histories, and ecology, many of which are typically reflected in their brains. Neuronal protection and maintenance include complex processes led by the microglia, which also interacts with metabolites such as hormones or immune components. Despite increasing interest in sex-specific brain function in laboratory animals, the significance of sex-specific immune activation in the brain of wild animals along with the variables that could affect it is widely lacking. Here, we use the Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) to study sex differences in expression of immune genes in the brain of adult males and females, in two wild populations breeding in contrasting habitats: a coastal sea-level population and a high-altitude inland population in China. Our analysis yielded 379 genes associated with immune function. We show a significant male-biased immune gene upregulation. Immune gene expression in the brain did not differ in upregulation between the coastal and inland populations. We discuss the role of dosage compensation in our findings and their evolutionary significance mediated by sex-specific survival and neuronal deterioration. Similar expression profiles in the coastal and inland populations suggest comparable genetic control by the microglia and possible similarities in pathogen pressures between habitats. We call for further studies on gene expression of males and females in wild population to understand the implications of immune function for life-histories and demography in natural systems.
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Augusto-Oliveira M, Arrifano GP, Delage CI, Tremblay MÈ, Crespo-Lopez ME, Verkhratsky A. Plasticity of microglia. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:217-250. [PMID: 34549510 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microglial cells are the scions of foetal macrophages which invade the neural tube early during embryogenesis. The nervous tissue environment instigates the phenotypic metamorphosis of foetal macrophages into idiosyncratic surveilling microglia, which are generally characterised by a small cell body and highly ramified motile processes that constantly scan the nervous tissue for signs of changes in homeostasis and allow microglia to perform crucial homeostatic functions. The surveilling microglial phenotype is evolutionarily conserved from early invertebrates to humans. Despite this evolutionary conservation, microglia show substantial heterogeneity in their gene and protein expression, as well as morphological appearance. These differences are age, region and context specific and reflect a high degree of plasticity underlying the life-long adaptation of microglia, supporting the exceptional adaptive capacity of the central nervous system. Microgliocytes are essential elements of cellular network formation and refinement in the developing nervous tissue. Several distinct patrolling modes of microglial processes contribute to the formation, modification, and pruning of synapses; to the support and protection of neurones through microglial-somatic junctions; and to the control of neuronal and axonal excitability by specific microglia-axonal contacts. In pathology, microglia undergo proliferation and reactive remodelling known as microgliosis, which is context dependent, yet represents an evolutionarily conserved defence response. Microgliosis results in the emergence of multiple disease and context-specific reactive states; in addition, neuropathology is associated with the appearance of specific protective or recovery microglial forms. In summary, the plasticity of microglia supports the development and functional activity of healthy nervous tissue and provides highly sophisticated defences against disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Augusto-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Brazil
| | - Gabriela P Arrifano
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Brazil
| | - Charlotte Isabelle Delage
- Division of Medical Sciences, Medical Sciences Building, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Tremblay
- Division of Medical Sciences, Medical Sciences Building, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada.,Axe Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boulevard Laurier, Québec City, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada.,Neurology and Neurosurgery Department, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry, Bureau 4835, 1050 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec City, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of British Columbia, Life Sciences Center, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez
- Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, 66075-110, Belém, Brazil
| | - Alexei Verkhratsky
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, U.K.,Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, 48011, Bilbao, Spain.,Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Delage CI, Nys G, Fillet M, Cornil CA. Effect of cyclo‑oxygenase inhibition on embryonic microglia and the sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Horm Behav 2021; 134:105024. [PMID: 34256221 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Enduring sex differences in the brain are established during a developmental process known as brain sexual differentiation and are mainly driven by estrogens during a critical period. In rodents, the masculinization of the preoptic area by estrogens derived from the central aromatization of testosterone depends in part on the interaction between microglia and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a pro-inflammatory hormone of the prostanoid subclass. In contrast, in birds, estrogens produced by females induce a demasculinization, but whether an interaction with the neuro-immune system is involved in this process is unknown. This study addressed this question by testing the effects of blockade of cyclo‑oxygenases (COX), the rate-limiting enzymes for prostanoid synthesis, on embryonic microglia and the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior using the Japanese quail as an animal model. The results show that COX inhibition does not affect the behavior of females, but impairs male sexual behavior and suppresses the sex difference in microglial profiles at embryonic day 12 (E12) in the medial preoptic nucleus by increasing the number of microglia in males only. However, neither prostanoid concentrations nor PGE2 receptors differed between sexes in the hypothalamus and preoptic area (HPOA) during development. Overall, these results uncovered a potential role of prostanoids in the demasculinization of Japanese quail. Moreover, the parallel effect of COX inhibition on behavior and microglia suggests an interaction between prostanoids and microglia in brain demasculinization, thus fueling the hypothesis of a conserved role of the neuroimmune system in the organization of the brain by estrogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte I Delage
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Belgium
| | - Gwenael Nys
- Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM), University of Liège, Belgium
| | - Marianne Fillet
- Laboratory for the Analysis of Medicines, Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM), University of Liège, Belgium
| | - Charlotte A Cornil
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Belgium.
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