Taking advantage of the well-documented song behavior and the experimentally accessible underlying neural circuits in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, the goal of this project is to understand the roles of miRNAs in regulating FOXP2 expression and in vocal learning. The FOXP2 gene encodes a transcription factor that controls the expression of many downstream genes, which in turn play important roles in neural circuit development and synaptic plasticity. Mutations in the human FOXP2 gene cause severe speech and language disorders. Thus studies of the regulation of the FOXP2 gene provide a novel window into the molecular mechanisms of language development. Sequence analysis has identified several miRNAs that target FOXP2 3?-UTR. It is hypothesized that miRNAs regulate FOXP2, and via FOXP, play a role in vocal development. This hypothesis will be tested in the zebra finch animal model using a combination of molecular, cellular, and behavioral approaches. Results of the work will establish a new post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism for FOXP2 expression. Because both the FOXP2 gene and miRNAs are highly conserved through evolution, insights gained from these experiments are highly relevant to understanding the roles of miRNAs in the development and evolution of human language.
Carrying out the work will provide opportunities to train students in neuroscience research with a multidisciplinary approach. A combined effort of teaching, mentoring students, and conducting community outreach activities will disseminate progress in neuroscience to students, improve scientific literacy among the public, and nurture the future generation of scientists. Resources generated by the project, including nucleic acid sequences and constructs and zebra finch song recordings will be deposited in the songbird community database for access by other researchers in the songbird field.
