Anterior Pituitary Transcriptome Suggests Differences in ACTH Release in Tame and Aggressive Foxes

G3 (Bethesda). 2018 Mar 2;8(3):859-873. doi: 10.1534/g3.117.300508.

Abstract

Domesticated species exhibit a suite of behavioral, endocrinological, and morphological changes referred to as "domestication syndrome." These changes may include a reduction in reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and specifically reduced adrenocorticotropic hormone release from the anterior pituitary. To investigate the biological mechanisms targeted during domestication, we investigated gene expression in the pituitaries of experimentally domesticated foxes (Vulpes vulpes). RNA was sequenced from the anterior pituitary of six foxes selectively bred for tameness ("tame foxes") and six foxes selectively bred for aggression ("aggressive foxes"). Expression, splicing, and network differences identified between the two lines indicated the importance of genes related to regulation of exocytosis, specifically mediated by cAMP, organization of pseudopodia, and cell motility. These findings provide new insights into biological mechanisms that may have been targeted when these lines of foxes were selected for behavior and suggest new directions for research into HPA axis regulation and the biological underpinnings of domestication.

Keywords: RNA-seq; Vulpes vulpes; domestication; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; pituitary.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / metabolism*
  • Aggression*
  • Alternative Splicing
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal*
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Domestication
  • Foxes / genetics*
  • Foxes / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Ontology
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
  • Pituitary Gland, Anterior / metabolism*
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System
  • Transcriptome*

Substances

  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone