Core and region enriched networks of behaviorally regulated genes: the singing epigenome
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Taeniopygia guttata
PROVIDER: GSE63936 | GEO | 2014/12/08
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA269549
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:We queried a songbird brain to discover behaviorally regulated transcriptional mechanisms relevant for speech behavior. About 10% of zebra finch genes showed regulation during singing, and most were brain-region specific. We propose that the brain-regional diversity of the singing-regulated gene networks is derived both from differential combinatorial binding of transcription factors and the epigenetic state of these genes before singing begins. To test this hypothesis, we measured H3K27ac two brain regions that participate in song production. The examination of H3K27ac in two brain regions of zebra finch in singing and silent conditions
2014-12-08 | E-GEOD-63936 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Studies of transcriptional networks in multi-cellular organisms usually focus on isolated cells and typically assume that the discovered gene networks represent those present in connected cells within a complex organ like the brain. However, similar cell types connected in diverse anatomical networks could differentially influence transcriptional networks. Here, we used laser capture microdissection, expression arrays, genome mapping, and computational inference to explore behaviorally regulated gene networks in the brains of awake, behaving songbirds producing a skilled motor behavior, singing. We found that at baseline, in the absence of singing, a large proportion of genes (17%, >3000) are differentially expressed in the different brain regions of the neural circuit that controls singing. These genes predominantly code for cell communication and connectivity proteins, and non-coding RNAs. Remarkably, the act of singing was associated with differential regulation of ~10% of the coding and non-coding genome. However, less than 1% of genes were singing-regulated in most brain regions and these were largely immediate early genes (IEGs), which peaked early, including the inducible transcription factors EGR1 and FOS. The remaining vast majority of behaviorally regulated gene expression was specific to one or a subset of brain regions, which peaked later. Promoters of the baseline, common, and diverse singing regulated gene clusters were enriched for different combinations of post-translationally activated transcription factors, like CREB, SRF, MEF2, MZF, and the IEG transcription factors. The results suggest that diverse cell-to-cell interactions and differential combinatorial binding of a small group of transcription factors may influence regional diversity of gene networks in seemingly similar cell types. Thus, in highly integrated neural circuits of intact behaving animals, transcriptional network diversity appears to be the rule, rather than the exception. Gene expression in Area X, HVC, LMAN, and Ra was measured before singing (0) or after singing for 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7hours. Four-Six independent experiments were performed at each of the 9 timepoints.
2012-12-13 | E-GEOD-33365 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Songbirds possess one of the most accessible neural systems for the study of brain mechanisms of behavior. However, neuroethological studies in songbirds have been limited by the lack of high-throughput molecular resources and gene manipulation tools. To overcome this limitation, here we generated a resource of full-length cDNAs for gene expression analyses and gene manipulation in songbirds. We constructed 21 regular, normalized, and subtracted full-length cDNA libraries from brains of songbirds in 57 behavioral and developmental conditions in an attempt to clone as much of the brain transcriptome as possible. From these libraries ~14,000 transcripts were isolated, representing an estimated 4,738 genes, or ~40% of the genes expressed in the brain. With these cDNAs, we created a novel draft transcriptome database and large scale songbird brain cDNA microarrays. We used the arrays to reveal a set of 33 genes regulated in brain vocal nuclei by singing behavior. These genes clustered into 4 anatomical and 6 temporal brain expression patterns. Their functions spanned broad range of cellular and molecular categories, including signal transduction, trafficking, structural, and synaptically released molecules. With the full-length cDNAs, we over-expressed proteins of representative singing-regulated genes in vocal nuclei in the absence of singing, using a lentiviral vector system. This resource now allows investigators to comprehensively study molecular neuroethological mechanisms of behavior. Keywords: songbird, zebra finch, transcriptome, learned vocalization, immediate early genes, lentivirus
2006-04-11 | GSE4629 | GEO
Project description:Studies of transcriptional networks in multi-cellular organisms usually focus on isolated cells and typically assume that the discovered gene networks represent those present in connected cells within a complex organ like the brain. However, similar cell types connected in diverse anatomical networks could differentially influence transcriptional networks. Here, we used laser capture microdissection, expression arrays, genome mapping, and computational inference to explore behaviorally regulated gene networks in the brains of awake, behaving songbirds producing a skilled motor behavior, singing. We found that at baseline, in the absence of singing, a large proportion of genes (17%, >3000) are differentially expressed in the different brain regions of the neural circuit that controls singing. These genes predominantly code for cell communication and connectivity proteins, and non-coding RNAs. Remarkably, the act of singing was associated with differential regulation of ~10% of the coding and non-coding genome. However, less than 1% of genes were singing-regulated in most brain regions and these were largely immediate early genes (IEGs), which peaked early, including the inducible transcription factors EGR1 and FOS. The remaining vast majority of behaviorally regulated gene expression was specific to one or a subset of brain regions, which peaked later. Promoters of the baseline, common, and diverse singing regulated gene clusters were enriched for different combinations of post-translationally activated transcription factors, like CREB, SRF, MEF2, MZF, and the IEG transcription factors. The results suggest that diverse cell-to-cell interactions and differential combinatorial binding of a small group of transcription factors may influence regional diversity of gene networks in seemingly similar cell types. Thus, in highly integrated neural circuits of intact behaving animals, transcriptional network diversity appears to be the rule, rather than the exception.
2012-12-13 | GSE33365 | GEO
Project description:Similarities between speech and birdsong make songbirds advantageous for investigating the neurogenetics of learned vocal communication; a complex phenotype likely supported by ensembles of interacting genes in cortico-basal ganglia pathways of both species. To date, only FoxP2 has been identified as critical to both speech and birdsong. We performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis on microarray data from singing zebra finches to discover gene ensembles regulated during vocal behavior. We found ~2,000 singing- regulated genes comprising 3 co-expression groups unique to area X, the basal ganglia subregion dedicated to learned vocal-motor behavior. These contained known targets of human FOXP2 and potential avian targets. We validated novel biological pathways for vocalization. Our findings show that higher-order gene co-expression patterns, rather than expression levels, molecularly distinguish area X from the ventral striato-pallidum during singing. The previously unknown structure of singing-driven networks enables prioritization of molecular interactors that likely bear on human motor disorders, especially those affecting speech. Gene expression was measured in 2 basal ganglia sub-regions (area X & ventral striato-pallidum (VSP)) of 27 adult male zebra finches that sang different amounts of song over a 2hr period in the morning. 18 birds were allowed to sing freely, 9 birds were discouraged from singing by the presence of an investigator and those that sang fewer than 10 song motifs were considered “non-singers”.
2012-01-04 | E-GEOD-34819 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Songbirds provide rich natural models for studying the relationships of brain anatomy, behavioral function, environmental signals and gene expression. Under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative, investigators from more than a dozen laboratories collected brain samples from six species of songbird under a range of experimental conditions, and 488 of these samples were analyzed systematically for gene expression by microarray. ANOVA was used to test 32 planned contrasts in the data, revealing the relative impact of different factors. The brain region from which tissue was taken had the greatest influence on gene expression profile, affecting the majority of signals measured by the 18,848 non-redundant cDNAs spotted on the microarray. Social and environmental manipulations had highly variable impact, ranging from nil in some cases to robust in others. Several specific genes were identified as points of interest in the evolution of mechanisms by which environmental signals influence behavior. The data were also analyzed using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) followed by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. This revealed modules of co-regulated genes that are also enriched for specific functional annotations such as M-bM-^@M-^\ribosomeM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in juvenile brain) and M-bM-^@M-^\dopamine metabolic processM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in striatal song control nucleus Area X). These results underscore the complexity of influences on neural gene expression and provide a resource for studying how these influences are integrated during natural experience. RNA samples were collected from six different songbird species (phylogeny in SI Appendix, Figure S1) and representing 80 different M-bM-^@M-^\treatmentsM-bM-^@M-^], i.e., combinations of species, brain region, sex, age, and behavioral state. The tissue samples were organized around 15 standalone experiments (Table 1 and SI Appendix, Table S1), contributed by investigators in a dozen different laboratories but analyzed under uniform conditions in a single laboratory as originally planned under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative. Each sample was hybridized to a zebra finch cDNA array along with a universal reference (a pool of zebra finch telencephalic RNA). e07: HVC of p55 and adult male zebra finches were collected after 20 days of food ad libitum or Timed Access to Food (TAF) to assess singing-driven differences in gene expression.
2012-05-30 | E-GEOD-36712 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Human speech is one of the few examples of vocal learning among mammals, yet ~half of avian species exhibit this ability. Its genetic basis is unknown beyond a shared requirement for FoxP2 in both humans and zebra finches. Here we manipulated FoxP2 isoforms in Area X during a critical period for song development, delineating, for the first time, unique contributions of each to vocal learning. We used weighted gene coexpression network analysis of RNA-seq data to construct transcriptional profiles and found gene modules correlated to singing, learning, or vocal variability. The juvenile song modules were preserved adults, whereas the learning modules were not. The learning modules were preserved in the striatopallidum adjacent to Area X whereas the song modules were not. The confluence of learning and singing coexpression in juvenile, but not adult, Area X may underscore molecular processes that drive vocal learning in zebra finches and, by analogy, humans.
2018-01-25 | GSE96843 | GEO
Project description:Songbirds provide rich natural models for studying the relationships of brain anatomy, behavioral function, environmental signals and gene expression. Under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative, investigators from more than a dozen laboratories collected brain samples from six species of songbird under a range of experimental conditions, and 488 of these samples were analyzed systematically for gene expression by microarray. ANOVA was used to test 32 planned contrasts in the data, revealing the relative impact of different factors. The brain region from which tissue was taken had the greatest influence on gene expression profile, affecting the majority of signals measured by the 18,848 non-redundant cDNAs spotted on the microarray. Social and environmental manipulations had highly variable impact, ranging from nil in some cases to robust in others. Several specific genes were identified as points of interest in the evolution of mechanisms by which environmental signals influence behavior. The data were also analyzed using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) followed by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. This revealed modules of co-regulated genes that are also enriched for specific functional annotations such as M-bM-^@M-^\ribosomeM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in juvenile brain) and M-bM-^@M-^\dopamine metabolic processM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in striatal song control nucleus Area X). These results underscore the complexity of influences on neural gene expression and provide a resource for studying how these influences are integrated during natural experience. RNA samples were collected from six different songbird species (phylogeny in SI Appendix, Figure S1) and representing 80 different M-bM-^@M-^\treatmentsM-bM-^@M-^], i.e., combinations of species, brain region, sex, age, and behavioral state. The tissue samples were organized around 15 standalone experiments (Table 1 and SI Appendix, Table S1), contributed by investigators in a dozen different laboratories but analyzed under uniform conditions in a single laboratory as originally planned under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative. Each sample was hybridized to a zebra finch cDNA array along with a universal reference (a pool of zebra finch telencephalic RNA). e10: NCM and L2a from adult female zebra finches, 30 or 90 minutes after onset of novel song playback, or silence control, 6 biological replicates per group. All samples were hybridized against the SoNG universal RNA reference pool.
2012-05-30 | E-GEOD-36739 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Songbirds provide rich natural models for studying the relationships of brain anatomy, behavioral function, environmental signals and gene expression. Under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative, investigators from more than a dozen laboratories collected brain samples from six species of songbird under a range of experimental conditions, and 488 of these samples were analyzed systematically for gene expression by microarray. ANOVA was used to test 32 planned contrasts in the data, revealing the relative impact of different factors. The brain region from which tissue was taken had the greatest influence on gene expression profile, affecting the majority of signals measured by the 18,848 non-redundant cDNAs spotted on the microarray. Social and environmental manipulations had highly variable impact, ranging from nil in some cases to robust in others. Several specific genes were identified as points of interest in the evolution of mechanisms by which environmental signals influence behavior. The data were also analyzed using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) followed by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. This revealed modules of co-regulated genes that are also enriched for specific functional annotations such as M-bM-^@M-^\ribosomeM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in juvenile brain) and M-bM-^@M-^\dopamine metabolic processM-bM-^@M-^] (expressed more highly in striatal song control nucleus Area X). These results underscore the complexity of influences on neural gene expression and provide a resource for studying how these influences are integrated during natural experience. RNA samples were collected from six different songbird species (phylogeny in SI Appendix, Figure S1) and representing 80 different M-bM-^@M-^\treatmentsM-bM-^@M-^], i.e., combinations of species, brain region, sex, age, and behavioral state. The tissue samples were organized around 15 standalone experiments (Table 1 and SI Appendix, Table S1), contributed by investigators in a dozen different laboratories but analyzed under uniform conditions in a single laboratory as originally planned under the Songbird Neurogenomics Initiative. Each sample was hybridized to a zebra finch cDNA array along with a universal reference (a pool of zebra finch telencephalic RNA). e12: AL (auditory lobule) from post-hatch day 20 male zebra finches after 30 minutes of novel song playback or silence control, 6 biological replicates per group. All samples were hybridized against the SoNG universal RNA pool.
2012-05-30 | E-GEOD-36742 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:This study was part of a larger study on the zebra finch genome (Warren et al 2010. Nature). Here we present a summary of the specific experiment on singing-regulated gene expression. To evaluate the genomic landscape of learned vocal communication, we profiled gene expression in the zebra finch song nucleus, Area X, with custom Agilent oligoarrays for up to seven hours following initiation of singing. We developed algorithms to identify singing-regulated transcripts related to time spent singing, and discovered over 800 transcripts in Area X that are significantly regulated by singing. These included known increases of the egr1 and c-fos transcription factors, and a decrease in the FoxP2 transcription factor, a gene associated with spoken language development. We clusted the singing-regulated genes in Area X into 20 temporal dynamic expression patterns, which include rapidly up-regulated and transient, rapidly up-regulated and sustained, slowly up-regulated and sustained, a late upregulated response, and equally diverse clusters of down-regulated patterns. Using promotor motif search algorithms, we found significant over-representation of transcription factor binding sites in the promoters of genes within specific clusters. These binding sites included those of transcription factors known to be activated by neural activity and plasticity, such as CREB, SRF, AP-1, NFKB1, CFOS, EGR1, and MEF2.
2010-01-16 | GSE19900 | GEO