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MBE Advance Access originally published online on March 10, 2004
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Mol. Biol. Evol. 21(6):1057-1063. 2004
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msh104
© 2004 by the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. ISSN: 0737-4038

Functional Microsatellite Polymorphism Associated with Divergent Social Structure in Vole Species

Elizabeth A. D. Hammock and Larry J. Young

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University

E-mail: lizhammock{at}aol.com.

Forebrain vasopressin/vasotocin systems regulate a diverse set of complex social behaviors in a species-specific manner. Among mammals, vasopressin gene sequences and peptide distributions in the brain are highly conserved across species. In contrast, vasopressin V1a receptors (V1aR) are conserved at the protein level, but not at the level of gene structure or neuroanatomical distribution of the receptor. Here, we examine the functional role of a microsatellite segment in the 5' region of V1aR that differs significantly between monogamous and nonmonogamous vole species with divergent V1aR expression patterns. Using luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrate that this microsatellite plays a significant role in transcriptional regulation in a cell-type–specific manner. These results suggest that significant evolutionary changes in social behavior can occur through variation in regulatory regions of genes already involved in social behavior.

Key Words: vole • vasopressin receptor • VNTR • SSR • microsatellite • monogamy • evolution • promoter


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