Core and region-enriched networks of behaviorally regulated genes and the singing genome.

Science
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Songbirds represent an important model organism for elucidating molecular mechanisms that link genes with complex behaviors, in part because they have discrete vocal learning circuits that have parallels with those that mediate human speech. We found that ~10% of the genes in the avian genome were regulated by singing, and we found a striking regional diversity of both basal and singing-induced programs in the four key song nuclei of the zebra finch, a vocal learning songbird. The region-enriched patterns were a result of distinct combinations of region-enriched transcription factors (TFs), their binding motifs, and presinging acetylation of histone 3 at lysine 27 (H3K27ac) enhancer activity in the regulatory regions of the associated genes. RNA interference manipulations validated the role of the calcium-response transcription factor (CaRF) in regulating genes preferentially expressed in specific song nuclei in response to singing. Thus, differential combinatorial binding of a small group of activity-regulated TFs and predefined epigenetic enhancer activity influences the anatomical diversity of behaviorally regulated gene networks.

Year of Publication
2014
Journal
Science
Volume
346
Issue
6215
Pages
1256780
Date Published
2014 Dec 12
ISSN
1095-9203
URL
DOI
10.1126/science.1256780
PubMed ID
25504732
PubMed Central ID
PMC4359888
Links
Grant list
R21 NS084336 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 DC007218 / DC / NIDCD NIH HHS / United States
R01 HG004037 / HG / NHGRI NIH HHS / United States
T32 MH018882 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States
5T32MH018882-18 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
R01DC007218 / DC / NIDCD NIH HHS / United States