DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The (epi)genetic basis of increased MUP expression during rapid adaptation to sociality in MUS

论文研究：MUS 快速适应社会性过程中 MUP 表达增加的（表观）遗传基础

• 批准号: 0909801
• 负责人: Wayne Potts
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0909801&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; epi; genetic; basis

Social selection is a form of evolution that results from social competition, and acts on traits necessary for courtship, competition for resources and social dominance, and group behaviors. Artificial selection experiments that experimentally control social selection are a recent technique used to understand the genetic basis of behavior. While these experiments have revealed many traits under social selection, they have been limited to invertebrate groups. Moreover, research now indicates that organisms can respond to changes in the social environment via non-genomic epigenetic inheritance, where phenotypic responses to the environmental are transmitted to subsequent generations. This project addresses these gaps in our understanding by examining the behavioral, genetic, and epigenetic responses of laboratory-bred wild mice reintroduced to high population density and the opportunity for social selection. The prediction is that mice bred under laboratory conditions, where social selection is absent, down-regulate or eliminate costly traits that are only relevant during intense social selection. Data show that reintroduction of mice to a social environment rapidly increases male mating success but decreases survivorship in competitive environments, increases male signaling and attractiveness, and increases male expression of Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs), a primary signal in mouse communication. MUPs are known to be regulated by epigenetic inheritance, but the function remains unknown. This project now investigates the behavioral significance of increased MUP expression and the causal genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. It demonstrates how mammals respond to changes in the social environment, and will contribute to our understanding of behavioral ecology by showing how fitness and communication vary across social environments. It also will continue to engage undergraduate and high school students in scientific discovery by encouraging them to take independent roles in the research and to present their work at conferences.

社会选择是一种进化的形式，它是由社会竞争引起的，并且对求爱，资源竞争和社会主导地位以及群体行为所必需的特征作用。实验控制社会选择的人工选择实验是一种用于了解行为遗传基础的最新技术。尽管这些实验揭示了许多社会选择下的特征，但它们仅限于无脊椎动物群体。此外，研究现在表明，生物体可以通过非基因组表观遗传遗传来应对社会环境的变化，在这种遗传中，对环境的表型反应将传播到后代。该项目通过研究重新引入高种群密度的实验室繁殖野生小鼠的行为，遗传和表观遗传反应，从而解决了这些差距。预测是，在实验室条件下繁殖的小鼠缺乏社会选择，下调或消除仅在强烈社会选择中相关的昂贵特征。数据表明，重新引入小鼠到社会环境会迅速增加男性交配的成功，但会降低竞争环境中的生存，增加男性信号和吸引力，并增加男性对主要尿蛋白（MUP）的表达，这是小鼠通信中的主要信号。已知MUP受表观遗传遗传的调节，但该功能仍然未知。该项目现在研究了MUP表达增加以及因果遗传和表观遗传机制的行为意义。它展示了哺乳动物如何应对社会环境中的变化，并通过展示在社会环境中的健身和沟通方式如何变化，从而有助于我们对行为生态的理解。它还通过鼓励他们在研究中扮演独立的角色并在会议上介绍他们的工作，从而继续吸引本科生和高中生的科学发现。