Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Identification of Dopamine D1-Alpha Receptor Within Rodent Nucleus Accumbens by an Innovative RNA In Situ Detection Technology
Published on: March 27, 2018
Androgen receptor and monoamine oxidase polymorphism in wild bonobos
Cintia Garai1, Takeshi Furuichi1, Yoshi Kawamoto1
1Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
Abstract:
Androgen receptor gene (AR), monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA) and monoamine oxidase B gene (MAOB) have been found to have associations with behavioral traits, such as aggressiveness, and disorders in humans. However, the extent to which similar genetic effects might influence the behavior of wild apes is unclear. We examined the loci AR glutamine repeat (ARQ), AR glycine repeat (ARG), MAOA intron 2 dinucleotide repeat (MAin2) and MAOB intron 2 dinucleotide repeat (MBin2) in 32 wild bonobos, Pan paniscus, and compared them with those of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, and humans. We found that bonobos were polymorphic on the four loci examined. Both loci MAin2 and MBin2 in bonobos showed a higher diversity than in chimpanzees. Because monoamine oxidase influences aggressiveness, the differences between the polymorphisms of MAin2 and MBin2 in bonobos and chimpanzees may be associated with the differences in aggression between the two species. In order to understand the evolution of these loci and AR, MAOA and MAOB in humans and non-human primates, it would be useful to conduct future studies focusing on the potential association between aggressiveness, and other personality traits, and polymorphisms documented in bonobos.
Related Concept Videos
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu
The Y Chromosome Determines Maleness
Evolution
Around 300 million years ago, the two sex chromosomes diverged from two identical autosomal chromosomes. Over time, the Y chromosome has lost most of its genes, shrinking in size....
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...

