Analysis of neural basis of mate-guarding behavior focusing on medaka oxytocin

• Project/Area Number: 19K16247
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 46010:Neuroscience-general-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Yokoi Saori 北海道大学, 薬学研究院, 助教 (10772048)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000)
• Keywords: オキシトシン / メダカ / 配偶者防衛 / シナプス刈り込み / 社会性行動 / 配偶者防衛行動

Outline of Research at the Start

配偶者防衛行動は「オス、オス、メス」の三者関係において観察される行動であり、多くの動物種で報告例が存在する。しかしながら、その分子神経基盤には未だ不明な点が多い。本研究では、マウスやヒトに存在するホルモンであるオキシトシンが、メダカの配偶者防衛行動に関与していることに着目し、オキシトシンが働くどの神経細胞が行動を制御しているかを明らかにする。そして、当該行動の進化的起源、ひいてはヒトの独占欲の起源解明を目指す。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we focused on oxytocin and analyzed the neural basis of mate-guarding behavior in medaka fish. Male medaka lacking oxytocin or its receptor gene showed low sexual motivation toward females they had never met before and exhibited little mate-guarding. On the other hand, when we used females kept in the same tank from birth to sexual maturity, male medaka lacking oxytocin or its receptor gene showed excessive mate-guarding. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression levels of all genes of the c1q component involved in synaptic pruning were decreased in oxytocin mutant medaka. It is possible that the abnormal mate-guarding behavior in oxytocin mutant males is caused by abnormal neural pruning.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

オキシトシンは、哺乳類において性別によらず絆形成に重要なホルモンであると考えられている。しかしながら、本研究で作出したオキシトシン変異メダカオスは、親密なメスに対してのみ過剰な配偶者防衛行動を示しており、これはメダカオスにおいてオキシトシンが絆形成を負に制御することを意味している。したがって、動物種や性別によってはオキシトシンの効果が異なるということを、今後念頭に置いて研究する必要性があると考えられる。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] エモリー大学(米国)
• [Journal Article] UPA-Seq-Based Search Method for Functional lncRNA Candidates (2022)
  • Author(s): Yokoi Saori、Nakagawa Shinichi
  • Journal Title: Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) Volume: 2509 Pages: 269-278
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2380-0_16
  • ISBN: 9781071623794, 9781071623800
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Quantifying Social Interactions in Medaka Fish (2022)
  • Author(s): Yokoi Saori、Isoe Yasuko、Wang Mu-Yun、Daimon Masahiro、Okuyama Teruhiro、Takeuchi Hideaki
  • Journal Title: Behavioral Neurogenetics Volume: 181 Pages: 93-105
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2321-3_7
  • ISBN: 9781071623206, 9781071623213
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Comparative Perspectives on the Function of Oxytocin in Fish and Mammals (2022)
  • Author(s): Yokoi Saori、Young Larry J.、Takeuchi Hideaki
  • Journal Title: Spectrum of Sex Volume: - Pages: 135-150
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-5359-0_8
  • ISBN: 9789811953583, 9789811953590
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The cell type‐specific ER membrane protein UGS148 is not essential in mice (2021)
  • Author(s): Takahashi Osamu、Tanahashi Mayuko、Yokoi Saori、Kaneko Mari、Yanaka Kaori、Nakagawa Shinichi、Maita Hiroshi
  • Journal Title: Genes to Cells Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Pages: 43-60
  • DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12910
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Gene disruption of medaka (Oryzias latipes) orthologue for mammalian tissue-type transglutaminase (TG2) causes movement retardation (2020)
  • Author(s): Watanabe Yuko、Okuya Kazuho、Takada Yuki、Kinoshita Masato、Yokoi Saori、Chisada Shinichi、Kamei Yasuhiro、Tatsukawa Hideki、Yamamoto Naoyuki、Abe Hideki、Hashimoto Hisashi、Hitomi Kiyotaka
  • Journal Title: The Journal of Biochemistry Volume: - Issue: 3 Pages: 213-222
  • DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvaa038
  • NAID: 40022375409
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Sexually dimorphic role of oxytocin in medaka mate choice (2020)
  • Author(s): Yokoi Saori、Naruse Kiyoshi、Kamei Yasuhiro、Ansai Satoshi、Kinoshita Masato、Mito Mari、Iwasaki Shintaro、Inoue Shuntaro、Okuyama Teruhiro、Nakagawa Shinichi、Young Larry J.、Takeuchi Hideaki
  • Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Volume: 117 Issue: 9 Pages: 4802-4808
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921446117
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] メダカの恋愛学 (2022)
  • Author(s): 横井 佐織
  • Organizer: 第３８回 国際生物学賞記念シンポジウム "魚の生物学：その生態、進化と発生"
  • Invited
• [Presentation] メダカの魚型物体に対する接近行動の解析 (2022)
  • Author(s): 横井 佐織, 水戸 麻里, 岩崎 信太郎, 中川 真一
  • Organizer: 日本動物学会年会
• [Presentation] メダカを用いたmalat1の機能解析 (2022)
  • Author(s): 横井 佐織, 水戸 麻里, 岩崎 信太郎, 中川 真一
  • Organizer: 日本分子生物学会年会
• [Presentation] Functional analysis of the farp1_2 expressed specifically in the brain of medaka (2022)
  • Author(s): Kumi Sakurai, Shuntaro Inoue, Koki Nagamori, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: The 28th Japanese Medaka and Zebrafish Meeting
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Analysis of the molecular basis of animal behavioral personality in medaka (2022)
  • Author(s): Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Kiyoshi Naruse, Yasuhiro Go, Shoji Tatsumoto, Atsushi Toyoda, Takafumi Katsumura, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: Neuro2022
• [Presentation] Functional analysis of the farp1_2 expressed especially in the brain of medaka (2022)
  • Author(s): Kumi Sakurai, Shuntaro Inoue, Koki Nagamori, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: Neuro2022
• [Presentation] Physiological function analysis of Hmgn2 in medaka fish (2022)
  • Author(s): Yume Masaki, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: Neuro2022
• [Presentation] 配偶者選択におけるオキシトシンの性的二形性 (2021)
  • Author(s): 横井佐織
  • Organizer: 日本動物学会
• [Presentation] 新規クローズドコロニー系統メダカを用いた不安様行動における個性の分子神経基盤解析 (2021)
  • Author(s): 田中豪,成瀬清,郷康広,辰本将司,豊田敦, 勝村啓史, 中川真一, 横井佐織
  • Organizer: 小型魚類研究会
• [Presentation] Sexually dimorphic role of oxytocin in medaka mate choice (2020)
  • Author(s): Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: neuro2020
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Searching for novel functional long non-coding RNAs expressed in the brain of adult medaka fish (2020)
  • Author(s): Shuntaro inoue, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: 第26回小型魚類研究会
• [Presentation] オキシトシンが制御する、メダカにおける親密度依存の社会性行動 (2020)
  • Author(s): 横井佐織
  • Organizer: 次世代薬理学セミナー 2020
  • Invited
• [Presentation] メダカ成魚脳で発現する機能性 lncRNA の探索 (2019)
  • Author(s): 横井佐織
  • Organizer: 第21回日本RNA学会年会
• [Presentation] Analysis of molecular/neural basis underlying decision making according to social familiarity in small fish, medaka (2019)
  • Author(s): 横井佐織
  • Organizer: Neuro 2019
• [Presentation] Searching for novel functional lncRNAs expressed in brain of adult medaka fish. (2019)
  • Author(s): Shuntaro inoue, Shinichi Nakagawa, Saori Yokoi
  • Organizer: The 25th Japanese Medaka and Zebrafish Meeting
• [Remarks] オキシトシンによる異性の好み メダカで性差が明らかに
  • URL: https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/news/2020/02/post-628.html