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Abstract

Spectacular progress in molecular biology, genome-sequencing projects and genomics makes this an appropriate time to attempt a comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of social life. Promising results have already been obtained in identifying genes that influence animal social behaviour and genes that are implicated in social evolution. These findings - derived from an eclectic mix of species that show varying levels of sociality - provide the foundation for the integration of molecular biology, genomics, neuroscience, behavioural biology and evolutionary biology that is necessary for this endeavour.

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Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior.

Ian Weaver, Nadia Cervoni, Frances Champagne … (2004)

Here we report that increased pup licking and grooming (LG) and arched-back nursing (ABN) by rat mothers altered the offspring epigenome at a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene promoter in the hippocampus. Offspring of mothers that showed high levels of LG and ABN were found to have differences in DNA methylation, as compared to offspring of 'low-LG-ABN' mothers. These differences emerged over the first week of life, were reversed with cross-fostering, persisted into adulthood and were associated with altered histone acetylation and transcription factor (NGFI-A) binding to the GR promoter. Central infusion of a histone deacetylase inhibitor removed the group differences in histone acetylation, DNA methylation, NGFI-A binding, GR expression and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses to stress, suggesting a causal relation among epigenomic state, GR expression and the maternal effect on stress responses in the offspring. Thus we show that an epigenomic state of a gene can be established through behavioral programming, and it is potentially reversible.

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Serotonin transporter genetic variation and the response of the human amygdala.

Ahmad R Hariri, Venkata S. Mattay, Alessandro Tessitore … (2002)

A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the human serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has been associated with several dimensions of neuroticism and psychopathology, especially anxiety traits, but the predictive value of this genotype against these complex behaviors has been inconsistent. Serotonin [5- hydroxytryptamine, (5-HT)] function influences normal fear as well as pathological anxiety, behaviors critically dependent on the amygdala in animal models and in clinical studies. We now report that individuals with one or two copies of the short allele of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) promoter polymorphism, which has been associated with reduced 5-HTT expression and function and increased fear and anxiety-related behaviors, exhibit greater amygdala neuronal activity, as assessed by BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging, in response to fearful stimuli compared with individuals homozygous for the long allele. These results demonstrate genetically driven variation in the response of brain regions underlying human emotional behavior and suggest that differential excitability of the amygdala to emotional stimuli may contribute to the increased fear and anxiety typically associated with the short SLC6A4 allele.

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A new approach to decoding life: systems biology.

Trey Ideker, Timothy Galitski, Leroy Hood (2001)

Systems biology studies biological systems by systematically perturbing them (biologically, genetically, or chemically); monitoring the gene, protein, and informational pathway responses; integrating these data; and ultimately, formulating mathematical models that describe the structure of the system and its response to individual perturbations. The emergence of systems biology is described, as are several examples of specific systems approaches.

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PubMed ID:: 15761469

DOI:: 10.1038/nrg1575

ScienceOpen disciplines: Chemistry

Keywords: Animals,Biological Evolution,Gene Expression Profiling,Genetics, Behavioral,Genetics, Population,Genomics,Molecular Biology,Neurosciences,Social Behavior,Sociobiology

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Chemistry

Keywords: Animals, Biological Evolution, Gene Expression Profiling, Genetics, Behavioral, Genetics, Population, Genomics, Molecular Biology, Neurosciences, Social Behavior, Sociobiology

Sociogenomics: social life in molecular terms.

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Abstract

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Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal

Most cited references 92

Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior.

Serotonin transporter genetic variation and the response of the human amygdala.

A new approach to decoding life: systems biology.

Author and article information

Journal

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