PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Nest building is a vital behavior exhibited during breeding in birds, and is possibly induced by environmental and social cues. Although such behavioral plasticity has been hypothesized to be controlled by adult neuronal plasticity, empirical evidence, especially at the neurogenomic level, remains limited. Here, we aim to uncover the gene regulatory networks that govern avian nest construction and examine whether they are associated with circuit rewiring. We designed an experiment to dissect this complex behavior into components in response to pair bonding and nest material acquisition by manipulating the presence of mates and nest materials in 30 pairs of zebra finches. Whole-transcriptome analysis of 300 samples from five brain regions linked to avian nesting behaviors revealed nesting-associated gene expression enriched with neural rewiring functions, including neurogenesis and neuron projection. The enriched expression was observed in the motor/sensorimotor and social behavior networks of female finches, and in the dopaminergic reward system of males. Female birds exhibited predominant neurotranscriptomic changes to initiate the nesting stage, while males showed major changes after entering this stage, underscoring sex-specific roles in nesting behavior. Notably, major neurotranscriptomic changes occurred during pair bonding, with minor changes during nest material acquisition, emphasizing social interactions in nest construction. We also revealed gene expression associated with reproductive behaviors and tactile sensing for nesting behavior. This study presents novel neurogenomic evidence supporting the hypothesis of adult neural plasticity underlying avian nest-construction behavior. By uncovering the genetic toolkits involved, we offer novel insights into the evolution of animals\' innate ability to construct nests.
摘要：
筑巢是鸟类繁殖过程中表现出的重要行为，可能是由环境和社会线索引起的。尽管这种行为可塑性被认为是由成人神经元可塑性控制的，经验证据，尤其是在神经基因组水平，仍然有限。这里,我们的目标是揭示控制鸟巢构建的基因调控网络，并检查它们是否与电路重新布线有关。我们设计了一个实验，通过操纵30对斑马雀中配对和巢材料的存在，将这种复杂的行为分解为响应配对结合和巢材料获取的组件。来自与禽类筑巢行为相关的五个大脑区域的300个样本的全转录组分析显示，与筑巢相关的基因表达富含神经重新连接功能，包括神经发生和神经元投射。在雌雀的运动/感觉运动和社会行为网络中观察到了富集的表达，而在男性的多巴胺能奖赏系统中。雌鸟表现出主要的神经转录变化，以启动筑巢阶段，而男性在进入这个阶段后表现出重大变化，强调嵌套行为中的性别特定角色。值得注意的是,主要的神经转录变化发生在配对结合，在巢穴材料获取过程中的微小变化，强调巢穴建设中的社会互动。我们还揭示了与生殖行为和筑巢行为的触觉相关的基因表达。这项研究提供了新的神经基因组学证据，支持成年神经可塑性的假设。通过发现所涉及的遗传工具包，我们为动物构建巢的先天能力的进化提供了新的见解。
