Work

Frequent Recent Origination of Brain Genes Shaped the Evolution of Foraging Behavior in Drosophila

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: The evolution of the brain and behavior are coupled puzzles. The genetic bases for brain evolution are widely debated, yet whether newly evolved genes impact the evolution of the brain and behavior is vaguely understood. Here, we show that during recent evolution in Drosophila, new genes have frequently acquired neuronal expression, particularly in the mushroom bodies. Evolutionary signatures combined with expression profiling showed that natural selection influenced the evolution of young genes expressed in the brain, notably in mushroom bodies. Case analyses showed that two young retrogenes are expressed in the olfactory circuit and facilitate foraging behavior. Comparative behavioral analysis revealed divergence in foraging behavior between species. Our data suggest that during adaptive evolution, new genes gain expression in specific brain structures and evolve new functions in neural circuits, which might contribute to the phenotypic evolution of animal behavior.

Source: Cell Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2011.12.010

Authors: Sidi Chen, Maria Spletter, Xiaochun Ni, Kevin P. White, Liqun Luo, Manyuan Long

Institutions: University of Chicago, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Argonne National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,620