Social behaviors that impact human health, including aggression and parental care, are in part influenced by genetic factors. As the neuroendocrine bases of these behaviors are well conserved across vertebrates, findings in animal models are likely to be applicable to human behavior. Animal models of social behavior with a definitive genetic component are therefore valuable systems in which to identify and study genes that are candidates for influencing human social behavior. The goal of this research project is to develop the genomic resources required to identify the genetic basis of a behavioral polymorphism in an exceptionally promising animal model of social behavior, the white-throated sparrow. The white-throated sparrow has generated a great deal of interest among behavioral biologists because of a plumage polymorphism that predicts many aspects of an individual's social behavior. Dozens of behavioral studies have established that individuals with a white-stripe (WS) on the crown tend to exhibit a more competitive behavior strategy, engaging in more territorial aggression and mate-finding, whereas birds with a tan stripe (TS) exhibit more parental care. The behavioral polymorphism is linked to a polymorphic inversion on chromosome 2, designated 2m, thereby providing a genetic marker for the location of the gene(s) responsible for the behavioral phenotype. Using a comparative genomics approach, we have cytogenetically localized the 2m inversion to a segment of the white- throated sparrow genome orthologous to chicken chromosome 3, and mapped the recombination suppressed region of the 2 (2m) chromosome harboring the gene(s) responsible for the behavioral phenotype.
The aims of this proposal are to 1) map the 2m inversion in order to identify candidate genes for the behavioral polymorphism and 2) construct a genomic bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from the white-throated sparrow to support future targeted mapping and sequencing efforts focused on identifying the gene(s) that dictate social behavior in this species. In summary, the white-throated sparrow represents an excellent model for studying the genetics and neuroendocrinology of aggression, parenting, and pair-bonding. This proposal will therefore result in the development of the genomic tools necessary to positionally clone the gene(s) underlying the behavioral polymorphism in a promising animal model of social behavior.Social behaviors that impact human health, including aggression and parental care, are in part influenced by genetic factors. The purpose of this research project is to develop the genomic resources necessary to identify the genetic basis of social behavior in an animal model system, thereby enhancing the ability to model and directly study the genetic basis of human social behavior.
