Hypothalamic transcriptome of tame and aggressive silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) identifies gene expression differences shared across brain regions

Abstract

The underlying neurological events accompanying dog domestication remain elusive. To reconstruct the domestication process in an experimental setting, silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have been deliberately bred for tame vs aggressive behaviors for more than 50 generations at the Institute for Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk, Russia. The hypothalamus is an essential part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and regulates the fight-or-flight response, and thus, we hypothesized that selective breeding for tameness/aggressiveness has shaped the hypothalamic transcriptomic profile. RNA-seq analysis identified 70 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Seven of these genes, DKKL1, FBLN7, NPL, PRIMPOL, PTGRN, SHCBP1L and SKIV2L, showed the same direction expression differences in the hypothalamus, basal forebrain and prefrontal cortex. The genes differentially expressed across the three tissues are involved in cell division, differentiation, adhesion and carbohydrate processing, suggesting an association of

Molecules, Mechanisms, and Disorders of Self-Domestication: Keys for Understanding Emotional and Social Communication from an Evolutionary Perspective

“…Since 1970, besides screening for tameness, researchers in Novosibirsk started to perform screening of aggressive animals to compare them with domesticated animals in regard to gene expression in different areas of the nervous system and other characteristics [ 12 , 13 ]. With this long-term experiment, Belyaev confirmed that selection for tameness is the only sufficient prerequisite for achieving a complete domestication syndrome.…”

Comparative Transcriptomics Reveals the Molecular Genetic Basis of Cave Adaptability in Sinocyclocheilus Fish Species

“…For example, Vincent et al found that the territorial behavior of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is linked to methylation of DNA in the hypothalamus, and the process of DNA methylation synchronized with the appearance of territorial behavior (Somerville et al, 2019). Similarly, by comparing the hypothalamus transcriptomes of domesticated and aggressive undomesticated silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Rosenfeld et al (2019) which play roles in signaling, development, differentiation, and immunity. These DEGs may be partly responsible for the loss of aggressive behavior after domestication of silver foxes (Rosenfeld et al, 2019).…”

“…Similarly, by comparing the hypothalamus transcriptomes of domesticated and aggressive undomesticated silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Rosenfeld et al (2019) which play roles in signaling, development, differentiation, and immunity. These DEGs may be partly responsible for the loss of aggressive behavior after domestication of silver foxes (Rosenfeld et al, 2019).…”

Fear and Foxes: An Educational Primer for Use with “Anterior Pituitary Transcriptome Suggests Differences in ACTH Release in Tame and Aggressive Foxes”

“…A subsequent study examined DEGs in the hypothalamus of tame and aggressive foxes as well but identified different candidate genes and GO terms (Rosenfeld et al 2019). This might be expected, since the pituitary and hypothalamus are different brain regions, with their own gene expression profiles and influences on behavior.…”