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Bubac CM, Cullingham CI, Fox JA, Bowen WD, den Heyer CE, Coltman DW. Genetic association with boldness and maternal performance in a free-ranging population of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 127:35-51. [PMID: 33927365 PMCID: PMC8249389 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-021-00439-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual variation in quantitative traits clearly influence many ecological and evolutionary processes. Moderate to high heritability estimates of personality and life-history traits suggest some level of genetic control over these traits. Yet, we know very little of the underlying genetic architecture of phenotypic variation in the wild. In this study, we used a candidate gene approach to investigate the association of genetic variants with repeated measures of boldness and maternal performance traits (weaning mass and lactation duration) collected over an 11- and 28-year period, respectively, in a free-ranging population of grey seals on Sable Island National Park Reserve, Canada. We isolated and re-sequenced five genes: dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), serotonin transporter (SERT), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), and melanocortin receptors 1 (MC1R) and 5 (MC5R). We discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in each gene; and, after accounting for loci in linkage disequilibrium and filtering due to missing data, we were able to test for genotype-phenotype relationships at seven loci in three genes (DRD4, SERT, and MC1R). We tested for association between these loci and traits of 180 females having extreme shy-bold phenotypes using mixed-effects models. One locus within SERT was significantly associated with boldness (effect size = 0.189) and a second locus within DRD4 with weaning mass (effect size = 0.232). Altogether, genotypes explained 6.52-13.66% of total trait variation. Our study substantiates SERT and DRD4 as important determinants of behaviour, and provides unique insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying maternal performance variation in a marine predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Bubac
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
| | - Catherine I. Cullingham
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XDepartment of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Janay A. Fox
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - W. Don Bowen
- grid.418256.c0000 0001 2173 5688Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS Canada ,grid.55602.340000 0004 1936 8200Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS Canada
| | - Cornelia E. den Heyer
- grid.418256.c0000 0001 2173 5688Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada
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2
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Wu M, Walser JC, Sun L, Kölliker M. The genetic mechanism of selfishness and altruism in parent-offspring coadaptation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaw0070. [PMID: 31922000 PMCID: PMC6941917 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The social bond between parents and offspring is characterized by coadaptation and balance between altruistic and selfish tendencies. However, its underlying genetic mechanism remains poorly understood. Using transcriptomic screens in the subsocial European earwig, Forficula auricularia, we found the expression of more than 1600 genes associated with experimentally manipulated parenting. We identified two genes, Th and PebIII, each showing evidence of differential coexpression between treatments in mothers and their offspring. In vivo RNAi experiments confirmed direct and indirect genetic effects of Th and PebIII on behavior and fitness, including maternal food provisioning and reproduction, and offspring development and survival. The direction of the effects consistently indicated a reciprocally altruistic function for Th and a reciprocally selfish function for PebIII. Further metabolic pathway analyses suggested roles for Th-restricted endogenous dopaminergic reward, PebIII-mediated chemical communication and a link to insulin signaling, juvenile hormone, and vitellogenin in parent-offspring coadaptation and social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wu
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (M.W.); (M.K.)
| | - Jean-Claude Walser
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Genetic Diversity Centre (GDC), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lei Sun
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Kölliker
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Corresponding author. (M.W.); (M.K.)
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3
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Thompson NA, Cords M. Early life maternal sociality predicts juvenile sociality in blue monkeys. Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23039. [PMID: 31373721 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects are widespread in living organisms though little is known about whether they shape individual affiliative social behavior in primates. Further, it remains a question whether maternal effects on affiliative behavior differ by offspring sex, as they do in other physiological systems, especially in species with high levels of adult sexual dimorphism and divergence in social niches. We explored how direct and indirect experiences of maternal affiliative behavior during infancy predicted affiliative behavior approximately 1-6 years later during the juvenile period, using behavioral data from 41 wild blue monkey juveniles and their 29 mothers, and controlling for individual age, sex, and maternal rank. Female juveniles spent less time grooming with any partner and with peers the more maternal grooming they received during infancy, whereas males groomed more with any partner and with peers. Similarly, the more that mothers groomed with other adult females during subjects' infancy, female subjects played less with peers, and male subjects played more as juveniles. Further, this maternal effect on social behavior appears specific to early life, as the same aspects of mothers' sociality measured throughout subjects' development did not predict juvenile behavior. Overall, our results suggest that both direct and indirect experience of mother's affiliative behavior during infancy influence an individual's affiliation later in life that sexes respond differently to the maternal affiliation, and that the first year of life is a critical window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A Thompson
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York.,Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Marina Cords
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York
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Dopamine D4 receptor genotype variation in free-ranging rhesus macaques and its association with juvenile behavior. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:50-5. [PMID: 26073765 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A polymorphism in the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene has been associated with significant variation in behavioral impulsivity, novelty-seeking, and risk-taking in humans and other animals. Rhesus macaques are an excellent animal model for research on the genetic basis of behavior using the candidate gene approach. Little is known, however, about allelic variation in DRD4 in large free-ranging populations of rhesus macaques and how this allelic variation relates to emotion regulation and behavior. In this study, we genotyped for the DRD4 polymorphism 178 individuals of different age and sex categories in the free-ranging rhesus macaque population on the island of Cayo Santiago, PR. Moreover, we examined the possible association between DRD4 allelic variation and three measures of juvenile behavior (time spent in proximity to the mother, avoidance of other individuals, and behavioral restlessness). Five different DRD4 alleles (5R, 5.5R, 6R, 6.5R, and 7R) were identified in the subject population. The most common allele was the 5R allele (78.5%), followed by the 7R allele (16.1%). Juveniles carrying the long form of the DRD4 allele (7R) spent less time in proximity to their mothers, avoided other individuals more often, and scored higher on behavioral restlessness than juveniles carrying the shorter alleles. Behavioral restlessness was also influenced by maternal DRD4 genotype. These results highlight both similarities and differences in the relative occurrence of DRD4 alleles and their association with behavior in this rhesus macaque population, other nonhuman primate species or populations, and humans.
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Kelly AM, Goodson JL. Functional interactions of dopamine cell groups reflect personality, sex, and social context in highly social finches. Behav Brain Res 2014; 280:101-12. [PMID: 25496780 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Revised: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) is well known for its involvement in novelty-seeking, learning, and goal-oriented behaviors such as social behavior. However, little is known about how DA modulates social processes differentially in relation to sex and behavioral phenotype (e.g., personality). Importantly, the major DA cell groups (A8-A15) are conserved across all amniote vertebrates, and thus broadly relevant insights may be obtained through investigations of avian species such as zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), which express a human-like social organization based on biparental nuclear families that are embedded within larger social groups. We here build upon a previous study that quantified multidimensional personality structures in male and female zebra finches using principal components analysis (PCA) of extensive behavioral measures in social and nonsocial contexts. These complex dimensions of behavioral phenotype can be characterized as Social competence/dominance, Gregariousness, and Anxiety. Here we analyze Fos protein expression in DA neuronal populations in response to social novelty and demonstrate that the Fos content of multiple dopamine cell groups is significantly predicted by sex, personality, social context, and their interactions. In order to further investigate coordinated neuromodulation of behavior across multiple DA cell groups, we also conducted a PCA of neural variables (DA cell numbers and their phasic Fos responses) and show that behavioral PCs are associated with unique suites of neural PCs. These findings demonstrate that personality and sex are reflected in DA neuron activity and coordinated patterns of neuromodulation arising from multiple DA cell groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - James L Goodson
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Jasinska AJ, Schmitt CA, Service SK, Cantor RM, Dewar K, Jentsch JD, Kaplan JR, Turner TR, Warren WC, Weinstock GM, Woods RP, Freimer NB. Systems biology of the vervet monkey. ILAR J 2014; 54:122-43. [PMID: 24174437 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilt049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman primates (NHP) provide crucial biomedical model systems intermediate between rodents and humans. The vervet monkey (also called the African green monkey) is a widely used NHP model that has unique value for genetic and genomic investigations of traits relevant to human diseases. This article describes the phylogeny and population history of the vervet monkey and summarizes the use of both captive and wild vervet monkeys in biomedical research. It also discusses the effort of an international collaboration to develop the vervet monkey as the most comprehensively phenotypically and genomically characterized NHP, a process that will enable the scientific community to employ this model for systems biology investigations.
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Jentsch JD, Ashenhurst JR, Cervantes MC, Groman SM, James AS, Pennington ZT. Dissecting impulsivity and its relationships to drug addictions. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014; 1327:1-26. [PMID: 24654857 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Addictions are often characterized as forms of impulsive behavior. That said, it is often noted that impulsivity is a multidimensional construct, spanning several psychological domains. This review describes the relationship between varieties of impulsivity and addiction-related behaviors, the nature of the causal relationship between the two, and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that promote impulsive behaviors. We conclude that the available data strongly support the notion that impulsivity is both a risk factor for, and a consequence of, drug and alcohol consumption. While the evidence indicating that subtypes of impulsive behavior are uniquely informative--either biologically or with respect to their relationships to addictions--is convincing, multiple lines of study link distinct subtypes of impulsivity to low dopamine D2 receptor function and perturbed serotonergic transmission, revealing shared mechanisms between the subtypes. Therefore, a common biological framework involving monoaminergic transmitters in key frontostriatal circuits may link multiple forms of impulsivity to drug self-administration and addiction-related behaviors. Further dissection of these relationships is needed before the next phase of genetic and genomic discovery will be able to reveal the biological sources of the vulnerability for addiction indexed by impulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J David Jentsch
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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Potenza MN. How central is dopamine to pathological gambling or gambling disorder? Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:206. [PMID: 24391562 PMCID: PMC3870289 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marc N. Potenza
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurobiology, and Child Study Center, Yale University School of MedicineNew Haven, CT, USA
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