Individual variation in preference behavior in sailfin fish refines the neurotranscriptomic pathway for mate...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral neurogenomics
• Comparative genomics
• Social behavior

Background:

• Social interactions significantly influence gene expression, with context-dependent variations.
• Understanding the genomic underpinnings of social preference is crucial for behavioral studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify genomic profiles associated with preference behavior in female sailfin mollies across different social contexts (male vs. female interactions).
• To investigate the role of gene expression in mate choice versus shoaling partner preference.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptomic profiling (RNA sequencing) of whole brains from female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) after 30-minute social interactions.
• Utilizing linear models (limma) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to analyze gene expression data correlated with behavioral variation.
• Focusing on individuals exhibiting high social affiliation and varied preference behaviors.

Main Results:

• Behavioral variation accounted for an order of magnitude more differentially expressed genes than social context differences.
• A refined set of 401 genes robustly associated with mate preference, independent of shoaling preference, was identified.
• Identified genes confirmed involvement of neural plasticity pathways and revealed significant enrichment for immune system gene ontology categories.

Conclusions:

• Gene expression profiles in female sailfin mollies are highly sensitive to individual behavioral variation within social contexts.
• A core set of genes, including those related to the immune system, are strongly associated with mate preference, potentially via neural plasticity.
• The study highlights a novel link between immune function genes and the neural processes underlying complex mate choice decisions.