Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Genes Active in the Brain of Rats Show Aggression or Tameness



In the journal, GENETICS, research has been published about the differences between aggressive and tame rats and how it is caused by the genes in their brains. This study can further previous research about what genes make animals tame. It shows us which genes make tame dogs and their wild ancestor, wolves different. According to co-author Henrike Heyne of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Unviersity of Leipzig in Germany, all domestic animals are tame and this research allows us to understand the reasons why wild animals transform to domestic animals.


Dmitry K. Belyaev, famous for his work on experimental domestication on foxes, and his colleges used 200 descended rats from a study he did over forty years ago. The purpose was to separate the rats into two groups: ones that show aggression and fear and ones that are tame and friendly. The groups were based off of when a human hand approached the rats: aggressive rats attacked and showed fear towards the hand while the others were intrigued in the hand and allowed the hand to pick them up.

The researchers created a population of hybrids by crossing the rats from each group to find gene variants responsible for the differences in behavior among the rats. The hybrid rats showed "a wide range of behaviors and inherited a random mix of genetic variants from the original tame and aggressive parent rats." Eight regions were identified in the genome by the research team which signified genetic variation in the tameness gene. Heyne and colleagues analyzed brain activity to discover that eleven genes in these regions made them "more active in the brains of aggressive rats compared to tame rats, or vise versa." Five of these eleven genes were noted to influence behavior of the rats, which may be the driving force of differences between the two groups of rats. "Several of the genes are involved in nervous system development, and one, Slc17a7, has previously been implicated in fear and stress behavior in mice."

Although further research is needed to determine which genes specifically trigger aggression and tameness in mice, this experiment gives us great insight for the possible outcomes. According to Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of GENETICS, this work done allows us to better understand "genetic details of a biological process that has been pivotal to human history." If we are able to identify which genes cause aggression and which genes cause tameness in mice, there is a great possibility that many wild animals will be tested on and domesticated. If the testing is allowed, humans will most likely figure out a way to control wild animals and breed them in ways that are beneficial to us. On one hand, this concept is mind boggling to think that this may be able to be done with technological advancements. Many people will probably have exotic pets, and try to advance one another to  have the most "unheard" of animal as a pet, which could get out of hand. This advancement can devastate wildlife as we know it and completely change the way we interact with nature: our idea of nature will be man-made at that point.

Article:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/285139.php

Related Article:
http://www.genetics.org/content/198/3/1277.long

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