Gene expression profiles underlying aggressive behavior in the prefrontal cortex of cattle

Area of Science:

• Genomics and Neurobiology
• Animal Behavior Genetics
• Comparative Transcriptomics

Background:

• Aggression is a conserved trait influenced by genetics in animals and humans.
• Understanding the molecular basis of aggression is crucial but remains incomplete.
• This study investigates gene expression in aggressive (Lidia) and non-aggressive (Wagyu) cattle breeds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare gene expression profiles in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of aggressive and non-aggressive cattle breeds.
• To identify molecular pathways and genes associated with aggressive behavior.
• To explore the genetic architecture underlying aggression through artificial selection.

Main Methods:

• Gene expression profiling of prefrontal cortex (PFC) samples from Lidia and Wagyu cattle.
• Differential gene expression analysis to identify up-regulated and down-regulated genes.
• Functional enrichment analysis of identified genes and upstream regulator identification.

Main Results:

• Identified 918 up-regulated and 278 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs).
• Up-regulated genes enriched in pathways like Alzheimer disease-presenilin, integrins, and ERK/MAPK signaling.
• Down-regulated pathways included G-protein signaling and the GAD2 gene, associated with reduced aggression.

Conclusions:

• Transcriptional changes in cattle aggression are partly due to artificial selection.
• Identified genes and pathways offer insights into the molecular underpinnings of agonistic behavior.
• Cattle serve as a novel model for studying the genetic mechanisms of aggression variability.