Combined change of behavioral traits for domestication and gene‐networks in mice selectively bred for active tameness. (7th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Matsumoto, Yuki; Nagayama, Hiromichi; Nakaoka, Hirofumi; Toyoda, Atsushi; Goto, Tatsuhiko; Koide, Tsuyoshi
• Is Part Of: Genes, brain, and behavior. Volume 20:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-01-07
• Subjects: active tameness -- behavior -- domestication -- heterogeneous stock -- mouse -- selective breeding -- sexual difference -- tameness -- transcriptome -- wildness; Behavior genetics -- Periodicals; Neurogenetics -- Periodicals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12721
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1601-1848

Abstract

Abstract: Tameness is a major element of animal domestication and involves two components: motivation to approach humans (active tameness) and reluctance to avoid humans (passive tameness). To understand the behavioral and genetic mechanisms of active tameness in mice, we had previously conducted selective breeding for long durations of contact and heading toward human hands in an active tameness test using a wild‐derived heterogeneous stock. Although the study showed a significant increase in contacting and heading with the 12th generation of breeding, the effect on other behavioral indices related to tameness and change of gene expression levels underlying selective breeding was unclear. Here, we analyzed nine tameness‐related traits at a later stage of selective breeding and analyzed how gene expression levels were changed by the selective breeding. We found that five traits, including contacting and heading, showed behavioral change in the selective groups comparing to the control through the generations. Furthermore, we conducted cluster analyses to evaluate the relationships among the nine traits and found that contacting and heading combined in an independent cluster in the selected groups, but not in the control groups. RNA‐Seq of hippocampal tissue revealed differential expression of 136 genes between the selection and control groups, while the pathway analysis identified the networks associated with these genes. These results suggest that active tameness was hidden in the control groups but became apparent in the selected populations by selective breeding, potentially driven by changes in gene expression networks. Abstract : Tameness can be divided into two components: active tameness and passive tameness. We conducted selective breeding for higher scores of active tameness using a wild‐derived heterogeneous stock. In the analyses of nine behavioral traits related to tameness, we found that five traits showed changes in the selective groups compared to the control groups through the generations. We conducted cluster analyses to evaluate the relationship among the nine traits and RNA‐Seq analysis to characterize the molecular network related to tameness. The results suggested that active tameness was hidden in the control groups but became apparent in the selected populations by selective breeding, potentially driven by changes in gene expression networks.