Evolution of gene expression across brain regions in behaviourally divergent deer mice.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of innate behaviours is ultimately due to genetic variation likely acting in the nervous system. Gene regulation may be particularly important because it can evolve in a modular brain-region specific fashion through the concerted action of cis- and trans-regulatory changes. Here, to investigate transcriptional variation and its regulatory basis across the brain, we perform RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) on ten brain subregions in two sister species of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus and P. polionotus)-which differ in a range of innate behaviours, including their social system-and their F₁ hybrids. We find that most of the variation in gene expression distinguishes subregions, followed by species. Interspecific differential expression (DE) is pervasive (52-59% of expres

SUBMITTER: Kautt AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12288816 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature