Project description:We examine whether there are differences in gene expression between aggressive versus nonaggressive behavioral types of individuals within a natural population of male threespined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We compared gene expression profiles of aggressive male sticklebacks to nonaggressive males in four regions of the brain (brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon and telencephalon). We identified new candidate genes related to aggressiveness, including SLC38a, a solute carrier which has been linked to GABAergic neuron reuptake of glutamine.
