[en] The evolution of innate behaviours is ultimately due to genetic variation likely acting in the nervous system. Gene regulation may be particularly important because it can evolve in a modular brain-region specific fashion through the concerted action of cis- and trans-regulatory changes. Here, to investigate transcriptional variation and its regulatory basis across the brain, we perform RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) on ten brain subregions in two sister species of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus and P. polionotus)-which differ in a range of innate behaviours, including their social system-and their F1 hybrids. We find that most of the variation in gene expression distinguishes subregions, followed by species. Interspecific differential expression (DE) is pervasive (52-59% of expressed genes), whereas the number of DE genes between sexes is modest overall (~3%). Interestingly, the identity of DE genes varies considerably across brain regions. Much of this modularity is due to cis-regulatory divergence, and while 43% of genes were consistently assigned to the same gene regulatory class across subregions (e.g. conserved, cis- or trans-regulatory divergence), a similar number were assigned to two or more different gene regulatory classes. Together, these results highlight the modularity of gene expression differences and divergence in the brain, which may be key to explain how the evolution of brain gene expression can contribute to the astonishing diversity of animal behaviours.
Disciplines :
Life sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Kautt, Andreas F ; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Chen, Jenny; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Lewarch, Caitlin L; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Hu, Caroline; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Turner, Kyle; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Lassance, Jean-Marc ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de gestion vétérinaire des Ressources Animales (DRA) > Génomique animale ; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Baier, Felix; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Bedford, Nicole L; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Bendesky, Andres ; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Hoekstra, Hopi E; Department of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Language :
English
Title :
Evolution of gene expression across brain regions in behaviourally divergent deer mice.
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