BMB-1 Molecular Response of Embryonic Zebra Finch Brain to Acute Sound Playback
Start Date
12-4-2024 9:30 AM
End Date
12-4-2024 11:30 AM
Location
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Document Type
Poster
Abstract
Molecular Response of Embryonic Zebra Finch Brain to Acute Sound Playback
Saidat O. Adeniran-Obey¹, Julia M. George¹, Mahalia Frank, and David F. Clayton³
Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are altricial birds native to Australia, with evidence for adaptive developmental reprogramming to high environmental temperature in response to a prenatal ‘heat call’. This heat call is a specific vocalization made at high temperatures (>26°C) by incubating parents. Exposure of embryos to this sound leads to alterations in growth rate after hatching, heat resistance, and reproductive success in adulthood. As a first step in understanding how a brief acoustic signal could trigger a suite of developmental changes, we conducted whole-brain RNA sequencing (RNASeq) from embryos exposed to a 30 minute heat call exposure or silence (control). Preliminary results identified 1423 upregulated and 1617 downregulated genes (padj < 0.1). Of these, nine genes (NAGK, KCTD21, LAMP3, HSPH1, PTPN5, AQP9, ASPA, PDCD7, and LOC121469790) were selected for replication based on robust basal expression and magnitude of change in the original RNASeq dataset. RT-qPCR assays have been optimized and experiments are underway to measure differential expression in an independent set of 28 embryos (treatment and control, male and female, n=7 individuals per group). This result will set the ground for further studies into understanding the physiological basis of sound perception and response in embryonic zebra finches, and its implication for prenatal noise exposure in the wild.
Keywords
Altricial birds, Zebra finch, Developmental Reprogramming, Heat Call, Acoustic signal, Prenatal, RNA Sequencing
BMB-1 Molecular Response of Embryonic Zebra Finch Brain to Acute Sound Playback
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Molecular Response of Embryonic Zebra Finch Brain to Acute Sound Playback
Saidat O. Adeniran-Obey¹, Julia M. George¹, Mahalia Frank, and David F. Clayton³
Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are altricial birds native to Australia, with evidence for adaptive developmental reprogramming to high environmental temperature in response to a prenatal ‘heat call’. This heat call is a specific vocalization made at high temperatures (>26°C) by incubating parents. Exposure of embryos to this sound leads to alterations in growth rate after hatching, heat resistance, and reproductive success in adulthood. As a first step in understanding how a brief acoustic signal could trigger a suite of developmental changes, we conducted whole-brain RNA sequencing (RNASeq) from embryos exposed to a 30 minute heat call exposure or silence (control). Preliminary results identified 1423 upregulated and 1617 downregulated genes (padj < 0.1). Of these, nine genes (NAGK, KCTD21, LAMP3, HSPH1, PTPN5, AQP9, ASPA, PDCD7, and LOC121469790) were selected for replication based on robust basal expression and magnitude of change in the original RNASeq dataset. RT-qPCR assays have been optimized and experiments are underway to measure differential expression in an independent set of 28 embryos (treatment and control, male and female, n=7 individuals per group). This result will set the ground for further studies into understanding the physiological basis of sound perception and response in embryonic zebra finches, and its implication for prenatal noise exposure in the wild.