Download Released 12/ 1/ 14 Study: Different species share a ``genetic toolkit

Released 12/ 1/ 14
Stud y: Different species share a ‘‘genetic toolkit’’ for behavioral traits
CON TACT: Diana Yates, Life Sciences Ed itor 217-333-5802; d [email protected] u
CH AMPAIGN , Ill. ------ The house m ouse, stickleback fish and honey bee appear
to have little in com m on, but at the genetic level these creatures respond in strikingly
sim ilar w ays to d anger, researchers report. When any of these anim als confronts an
intrud er, the researchers found , m any of the sam e genes and brain gene netw orks gear
up or d ow n in response.
This d iscovery, reported in the Proceed ings of the N ational Acad em y of Sciences,
suggests that d istantly related organism s share som e key genetic m echanism s that help
them respond to threats, said University of Illinois cell and d evelopm ental biology
professor Lisa Stubbs, w ho led the research w ith anim al biology professor Alison Bell
and entom ology professor and Institute for Genom ic Biology director Gene Robinson.
Bell and Stubbs also are IGB faculty.
‘‘We knew that a variety of anim als share genes for som e com m on physical traits.
N ow it appears that different organism s share a ‘genetic toolkit’ for behavioral traits, as
w ell,’’ Stubbs said .
The team used com parative genomics to look at changes in brain gene expression
in the house m ouse (M us musculus), stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and honey
bee (A pis mellifera) in response to intrusion by a m em ber the sam e species.
‘‘One of the striking find ings is that elem ents of the brain gene-expression
response to a territorial intrusion w ere com m on to all three species, d espite vast
d ifferences in brain anatom y am ong the three,’’ Bell said. ‘‘This is m eaningful because it
suggests that m olecular sim ilarities run d eeper than brain structural sim ilarities.’’
All three species saw changes in the expression of genes that regulate horm ones
and neurotransm itters that are know n to influence behavior. Other shared responses
involved genes that contribute to brain d evelopm ental processes; m etabolic genes; genes
related to m uscle contraction and blood supply; and genes associated w ith the form ation
of synapses, the grow th of neurons and the differentiation of glial brain cells.
‘‘To find com m on sets of activated genes, in species that evolved their behavioral
responses to intrud ers hund red s of m illions of years apart from each other, gives hope
that scientists w ill be able to m ake use of com parative genom ics to better und erstand
how the behaviors of different species relate to each other, and to ourselves,’’ Robinson
said .
The Sim ons Found ation supported this research.
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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UN TIL 2 P.M. CST D ECEMBER 1 (MON D AY)
Editor’s notes:
To reach Lisa Stubbs, call 217-244-4000; em ail [email protected] u .
To reach Alison Bell, call 217-265-5469; em ail alisonm [email protected] u.
To reach Gene Robinson, call 217-265-0309; em ail [email protected] u.
The paper, ‘‘N eurom olecular responses to social challenge: Comm on
m echanisms across m ouse, stickleback fish and honey bee,’’ is available from the
U. of I. N ew s Bureau.
LIN K to cell & dev. d ept: http:/ / m cb.illinois.ed u/ d epartm ents/ cdb/
LIN K to Stubbs’ w eb page: http:/ / m cb.illinois.edu/ faculty/ profile/ ljstubbs/
LIN K to anim al biology d ept.: http:/ / w w w .life.illinois.ed u/ anim albiology/
LIN K to Bell w eb page: https:/ / sib.illinois.ed u/ bell/ Bell_lab_w eb_page/ Welcom e.htm l
LIN K to Institute for Genom ic Biology: http:/ / w w w .igb.illinois.ed u
LIN K to Robinson w eb page: http:/ / w w w .igb.illinois.ed u/ about/ gene-robinson
LIN K to N ew s Bureau: [email protected] u
Entomology http://www.life.illinois.edu/entomology/