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Behavioral genetics of the cynomolgus macaque
Author(s) -
MillerButterworth Cassandra,
Kaplan Jay,
Manuck Stephen,
Ferrell Robert
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a380-c
Subject(s) - monoamine neurotransmitter , genetics , single nucleotide polymorphism , biology , vesicular monoamine transporter , macaque , linkage disequilibrium , dopaminergic , allele , genotype , gene , dopamine , neuroscience , serotonin , receptor
We investigated whether sequence variation in monoamine‐regulatory genes is associated with behavioral and monoamine metabolite differences previously identified between dominant and subordinate cynomolgus macaques, Macaca fascicularis . Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of monoamine metabolites and certain behavioral phenotypes are significantly heritable in monkeys, and specific genotypes of the human monoamine pathways have been linked to personality and monoamine metabolite levels. The dopamine transporter (DAT) regulates dopaminergic tone and was selected as a candidate gene for this project. DNA, social rank and detailed behavioral observations were obtained from 500 M. fascicularis . Monoamine metabolite levels were collected from 100 monkeys. Sequence variation in the macaque DAT gene was characterized in 50 individuals and screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other variants. Genotype and allele frequencies were determined for each of the ~80 polymorphisms identified, one of which is shared by humans. None of the SNPs correlated with social status in these 50 individuals. However, two non‐synonymous SNPs were identified, which may produce functional gene variants. These, as well as 4 SNPs in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) were genotyped in all 500 macaques to determine if an association with behavior or monoamine metabolite levels could be identified. In contrast to humans, the macaque DAT gene does not show significant long range linkage disequilibrium, and the tandem repeat in the 3′ UTR does not vary in repeat number. Funding: National Institutes of Mental Health.