scholarly journals Characterization of cell proliferation throughout the brain of the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni and its regulation by social status

2012 ◽  
Vol 520 (15) ◽  
pp. 3471-3491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen P. Maruska ◽  
Russ E. Carpenter ◽  
Russell D. Fernald
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Modular genetic control of social status in a cichlid fish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beau A. Alward ◽  
Vibhav Laud ◽  
Christopher J. Skalnik ◽  
Ryan A. York ◽  
Scott Juntti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractSocial hierarchies are ubiquitous in social species and profoundly influence physiology and behavior. Androgens like testosterone have been strongly linked to social status, yet the molecular mechanisms regulating social status are not known. The African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni is a powerful model species for elucidating the role of androgens in social status given their rich social hierarchy and genetic tractability. Dominant A. burtoni males possess large testes, bright coloration, and perform aggressive and reproductive behaviors while non-dominant males do not. Social status in A. burtoni is in flux, however, as males alter their status depending on the social environment. Due to a teleost-specific whole-genome duplication, A. burtoni possess two androgen receptor (AR) paralogs, ARα and ARβ, providing a unique opportunity to disentangle the role of gene duplication in the evolution of social systems. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to generate AR mutant A. burtoni and performed a suite of experiments to interrogate the mechanistic basis of social dominance. We find that ARβ, but not ARα, is required for testes growth and bright coloration, while ARα, but not ARβ, is required for the performance of reproductive behavior and aggressive displays. Both receptors are required to reduce flees from females and either AR is sufficient for attacking males. Thus, social status in A. burtoni is inordinately dissociable and under the modular control of two AR paralogs. This type of non-redundancy may be important in facilitating social plasticity in A. burtoni and other species whose social status relies on social experience.Significance StatementSocial rank along a hierarchy determines physiological state and behavioral performance. A ubiquitous feature of social hierarchies is the communication of rank through non-physical signaling systems (e.g., coloration) and aggression, traits that correlate with the reproductive status of an individual. Despite the links identified between social status, physiology, and behavior, the molecular basis of social status is not known. Here, we genetically dissect social status in the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. We show that two distinct androgen receptor (AR) genes control social status in a highly modular manner. This type of coordination of social status may be fundamental across species that rely on social information to optimally guide physiology and behavior.

scholarly journals Localization of glutamatergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic neurons in the brain of the African cichlid fish,Astatotilapia burtoni

2016 ◽  
Vol 525 (3) ◽  
pp. 610-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen P. Maruska ◽  
Julie M. Butler ◽  
Karen E. Field ◽  
Danielle T. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Cholinergic Neurons ◽  
African Cichlid ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Genome-wide effects of social status on DNA methylation in the brain of a cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni

BMC Genomics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin T. Hilliard ◽  
Dan Xie ◽  
Zhihai Ma ◽  
Michael P. Snyder ◽  
Russell D. Fernald
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Neural Development ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Splice Variants ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Astatotilapia Burtoni ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Successful social behavior requires real-time integration of information about the environment, internal physiology, and past experience. The molecular substrates of this integration are poorly understood, but likely modulate neural plasticity and gene regulation. In the cichlid fish species Astatotilapia burtoni, male social status can shift rapidly depending on the environment, causing fast behavioral modifications and a cascade of changes in gene transcription, the brain, and the reproductive system. These changes can be permanent but are also reversible, implying the involvement of a robust but flexible mechanism that regulates plasticity based on internal and external conditions. One candidate mechanism is DNA methylation, which has been linked to social behavior in many species, including A. burtoni. But, the extent of its effects after A. burtoni social change were previously unknown. Results We performed the first genome-wide search for DNA methylation patterns associated with social status in the brains of male A. burtoni, identifying hundreds of Differentially Methylated genomic Regions (DMRs) in dominant versus non-dominant fish. Most DMRs were inside genes supporting neural development, synapse function, and other processes relevant to neural plasticity, and DMRs could affect gene expression in multiple ways. DMR genes were more likely to be transcription factors, have a duplicate elsewhere in the genome, have an anti-sense lncRNA, and have more splice variants than other genes. Dozens of genes had multiple DMRs that were often seemingly positioned to regulate specific splice variants. Conclusions Our results revealed genome-wide effects of A. burtoni social status on DNA methylation in the brain and strongly suggest a role for methylation in modulating plasticity across multiple biological levels. They also suggest many novel hypotheses to address in mechanistic follow-up studies, and will be a rich resource for identifying the relationships between behavioral, neural, and transcriptional plasticity in the context of social status.

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