Project description:Pairwise comparison of the orthologous olfactory receptor genes between two sympatric sibling sea kraits of the genus Laticauda in Vanuatu
Project description:Pairwise comparison of the orthologous olfactory receptor genes between two sympatric sibling sea kraits of the genus Laticauda in Vanuatu
Project description:Three sympatric species of Caribbean grunts (H. flavolineatum, H. carbonarium and H. macrostomum) were collected while SCUBA diving. RNA was extracted from livers, and the transcriptomes were assembled and annotated to investigate positive selection (Pairwise dN/dS) and patterns of gene expression between the three species.
Project description:Sensory circuit activation can induce neurotransmitter respecification. To understand the consequences and mechanisms of this neuroplasticity we investigated the effects of olfactory system activation on transmitter expression in interneurons of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) during development. Frog larvae use olfactory-mediated kin recognition to distinguish siblings from non-siblings. Prolonged exposure to kin (sibling) or non-kin (non-sibling) odorants changed the number of neurons expressing dopamine or GABA compared to odorant deprivation (orphan condition). To identify signaling molecules mediating this behavior we performed mass spectrometry of kin-conditioned water samples. Vitellogenin-derived peptides, uniquely present in kin-conditioned samples of one genotype, were sufficient to elicit aversion behavior in non-kin larvae. RNA profiling identified AOB microRNAs (miRs) differentially regulated across conditions. Inhibition of miR-375 and miR-200b revealed that they regulate the dopaminergic and GABAergic phenotypes by targeting Pax6 and Bcl11b. Altering the ratio of dopamine/GABA AOB interneurons or locally introducing receptor blockers reversed kinship preference.
