Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, , Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Dec 27;365(1560):4001-12. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0185.
Consistent individual differences in behaviour, aka personality, pose several evolutionary questions. For example, it is difficult to explain within-individual consistency in behaviour because behavioural plasticity is often advantageous. In addition, selection erodes heritable behavioural variation that is related to fitness, therefore we wish to know the mechanisms that can maintain between-individual variation in behaviour. In this paper, we argue that whole genome expression data can reveal new insights into the proximate mechanisms underlying personality, as well as its evolutionary consequences. After introducing the basics of whole genome expression analysis, we show how whole genome expression data can be used to understand whether behaviours in different contexts are affected by the same molecular mechanisms. We suggest strategies for using the power of genomics to understand what maintains behavioural variation, to study the evolution of behavioural correlations and to compare personality traits across diverse organisms.
行为的一致性个体差异，又名人格，提出了几个进化问题。例如，行为的个体内一致性很难用行为的可塑性通常是有利的来解释。此外，选择会削弱与适应性相关的可遗传行为变异，因此我们想知道能够维持行为个体间差异的机制。在本文中，我们认为全基因组表达数据可以揭示人格的潜在机制及其进化后果的新见解。在介绍全基因组表达分析的基础知识之后，我们展示了如何使用全基因组表达数据来了解不同环境中的行为是否受到相同分子机制的影响。我们提出了利用基因组学的力量来理解维持行为变异的因素、研究行为相关性的进化以及比较不同生物的人格特质的策略。
