Yong Lengxob, Thet Zayer, Zhu Yong
Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2017 Sep 1;220(Pt 17):3017-3021. doi: 10.1242/jeb.161596. Epub 2017 Jun 15.
Elucidating the genes that contribute to behavioral variation has become an important endeavor in behavioral studies. While advances in genomics have narrowed down the list of candidate genes, functional validation of them has lagged behind, partly because of challenges associated with rapid gene manipulations. Consequently, few studies have demonstrated causal genetic changes linked to behaviors. The 'gene editing revolution' has offered unprecedented opportunities to investigate candidate genes responsible for critical behaviors. Here, we edited the androgen receptor gene (), which is associated with male reproductive behavior in zebrafish, using TAL effector nucleases (TALENs), and tested whether modifications at the impacted courtship during mating trials. We reveal that males lacking AR courted females significantly less, showing reduced levels of stereotypic behaviors. Consistent with previous studies, disrupting androgen mechanisms can lead to behavioral changes with potential fitness consequences. Our study highlights the possibility of genetically altering a reproductive behavior, further solidifying the link between genotype and behavior.
阐明导致行为变异的基因已成为行为研究中的一项重要工作。虽然基因组学的进展已缩小了候选基因的范围，但对它们的功能验证却滞后了，部分原因是与快速基因操作相关的挑战。因此，很少有研究证明与行为相关的因果基因变化。“基因编辑革命”为研究导致关键行为的候选基因提供了前所未有的机会。在这里，我们使用转录激活样效应因子核酸酶（TALENs）编辑了与斑马鱼雄性生殖行为相关的雄激素受体基因（），并在交配试验中测试了该基因修饰是否影响求偶行为。我们发现，缺乏雄激素受体的雄性对雌性的求偶行为明显减少，刻板行为水平降低。与先前的研究一致，破坏雄激素机制会导致行为变化，并可能对适应性产生影响。我们的研究突出了通过基因改变生殖行为的可能性，进一步巩固了基因型与行为之间的联系。
