Prenatal testosterone triggers long-term behavioral changes in male zebra finches: unravelling the neurogenomic mechanisms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Maternal hormones, like testosterone, can strongly influence developing offspring, even generating long-term organizational effects on adult behavior; yet, the mechanisms facilitating these effects are still unclear. Here, we experimentally elevated prenatal testosterone in the eggs of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and measured male aggression in adulthood along with patterns of neural gene expression (RNA-seq) and DNA methylation (MethylC-Seq) in two socially relevant brain regions (hypothalamus and nucleus taenia of the amygdala). We used enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction networks to find candidate processes and hub genes potentially affected by the treatment. We additionally identified differentially expressed genes that contained differentiall

SUBMITTER: Bentz AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7937265 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature