| First Author | Hu CK | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 110360 |
| PubMed ID | 35172153 | Mgi Jnum | J:348611 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6874537 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110360 |
| Citation | Hu CK, et al. (2022) cis-Regulatory changes in locomotor genes are associated with the evolution of burrowing behavior. Cell Rep 38(7):110360 |
| abstractText | How evolution modifies complex, innate behaviors is largely unknown. Divergence in many morphological traits, and some behaviors, is linked to cis-regulatory changes in gene expression. Given this, we compare brain gene expression of two interfertile sister species of Peromyscus mice that show large and heritable differences in burrowing behavior. Species-level differential expression and allele-specific expression in F1 hybrids indicate a preponderance of cis-regulatory divergence, including many genes whose cis-regulation is affected by burrowing behavior. Genes related to locomotor coordination show the strongest signals of lineage-specific selection on burrowing-induced cis-regulatory changes. Furthermore, genetic markers closest to these candidate genes associate with variation in burrow shape in a genetic cross, suggesting an enrichment for loci affecting burrowing behavior near these candidate locomotor genes. Our results provide insight into how cis-regulated gene expression can depend on behavioral context and how this dynamic regulatory divergence between species may contribute to behavioral evolution. |
