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Parker CG, Gruenhagen GW, Hegarty BE, Histed AR, Streelman JT, Rhodes JS, Johnson ZV. Adult sex change leads to extensive forebrain reorganization in clownfish. Biol Sex Differ 2024; 15:58. [PMID: 39044232 PMCID: PMC11267845 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00632-0] [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: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual differentiation of the brain occurs in all major vertebrate lineages but is not well understood at a molecular and cellular level. Unlike most vertebrates, sex-changing fishes have the remarkable ability to change reproductive sex during adulthood in response to social stimuli, offering a unique opportunity to understand mechanisms by which the nervous system can initiate and coordinate sexual differentiation. METHODS This study explores sexual differentiation of the forebrain using single nucleus RNA-sequencing in the anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris, producing the first cellular atlas of a sex-changing brain. RESULTS We uncover extensive sex differences in cell type-specific gene expression, relative proportions of cells, baseline neuronal excitation, and predicted inter-neuronal communication. Additionally, we identify the cholecystokinin, galanin, and estrogen systems as central molecular axes of sexual differentiation. Supported by these findings, we propose a model of sexual differentiation in the conserved vertebrate social decision-making network spanning multiple subtypes of neurons and glia, including neuronal subpopulations within the preoptic area that are positioned to regulate gonadal differentiation. CONCLUSIONS This work deepens our understanding of sexual differentiation in the vertebrate brain and defines a rich suite of molecular and cellular pathways that differentiate during adult sex change in anemonefish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coltan G Parker
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 405 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61820, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - George W Gruenhagen
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brianna E Hegarty
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Abigail R Histed
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 405 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61820, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Streelman
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Justin S Rhodes
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 405 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61820, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.
| | - Zachary V Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
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Parker CG, Gruenhagen GW, Hegarty BE, Histed AR, Streelman JT, Rhodes JS, Johnson ZV. Adult sex change leads to extensive forebrain reorganization in clownfish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.29.577753. [PMID: 38352560 PMCID: PMC10862741 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.29.577753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Sexual differentiation of the brain occurs in all major vertebrate lineages but is not well understood at a molecular and cellular level. Unlike most vertebrates, sex-changing fishes have the remarkable ability to change reproductive sex during adulthood in response to social stimuli, offering a unique opportunity to understand mechanisms by which the nervous system can initiate and coordinate sexual differentiation. This study explores sexual differentiation of the forebrain using single nucleus RNA-sequencing in the anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris, producing the first cellular atlas of a sex-changing brain. We uncover extensive sex differences in cell type-specific gene expression, relative proportions of cells, baseline neuronal excitation, and predicted inter-neuronal communication. Additionally, we identify the cholecystokinin, galanin, and estrogen systems as central molecular axes of sexual differentiation. Supported by these findings, we propose a model of neurosexual differentiation in the conserved vertebrate social decision-making network spanning multiple subtypes of neurons and glia, including neuronal subpopulations within the preoptic area that are positioned to regulate gonadal differentiation. This work deepens our understanding of sexual differentiation in the vertebrate brain and defines a rich suite of molecular and cellular pathways that differentiate during adult sex change in anemonefish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coltan G. Parker
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - George W. Gruenhagen
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Brianna E. Hegarty
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Abigail R. Histed
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Jeffrey T. Streelman
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Justin S. Rhodes
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Zachary V. Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Culbert BM, Ligocki IY, Salena MG, Wong MYL, Hamilton IM, Bernier NJ, Balshine S. Galanin expression varies with parental care and social status in a wild cooperatively breeding fish. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105275. [PMID: 36272180 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
As many busy parents will attest, caring for young often comes at the expense of having time to feed and care for oneself. Galanin is a neuropeptide that regulates food intake and modulates parental care; however, the relative importance of galanin in the regulation of feeding versus caring by parents has never been evaluated before under naturalistic settings. Here, we assessed how expression of the galanin system varied in two brain regions, the hypothalamus (which regulates feeding) and the preoptic area (which modulates social behaviours including care) in a wild cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher. Females with young had higher hypothalamic expression of galanin receptor 1a, and the highest expression of galanin and galanin receptor 1a was observed in females that foraged the least. However, expression of five other feeding-related neuropeptides did not change while females were caring for young suggesting that changes in the hypothalamic galanin system may not have been directly related to changes in food intake. The preoptic galanin system was unaffected by the presence of young, but preoptic galanin expression was higher in dominant females (which are aggressive, regularly reproduce and care for young) compared to subordinate females (which are submissive, rarely reproduce but often help care for young). Additionally, preoptic galanin expression was higher in fish that performed more territory defense. Overall, our results indicate that galanin has brain-region-specific roles in modulating both parental care and social status in wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Culbert
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Isaac Y Ligocki
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, USA
| | - Matthew G Salena
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marian Y L Wong
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ian M Hamilton
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Nicholas J Bernier
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sigal Balshine
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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