Affiliation:
1. School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism of calls is common in animals, whereas studies on the molecular basis underlying this phenotypic variation are still scarce. In this study, we used comparative transcriptomics of cochlea to investigate the sex-related difference in gene expression and alternative splicing in four Rhinolophus taxa. Based on 31 cochlear transcriptomes, we performed differential gene expression (DGE) and alternative splicing (AS) analyses between the sexes in each taxon. Consistent with the degree of difference in the echolocation pulse frequency between the sexes across the four taxa, we identified the largest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and alternatively spliced genes (ASGs) in R. sinicus. However, we also detected multiple DEGs and ASGs in taxa without sexual differences in echolocation pulse frequency, suggesting that these genes might be related to other parameters of echolocation pulse rather than the frequency component. Some DEGs and ASGs are related to hearing loss or deafness genes in human or mice and they can be considered to be candidates associated with the sexual differences of echolocation pulse in bats. We also detected more than the expected overlap of DEGs and ASGs in two taxa. Overall, our current study supports the important roles of both DGE and AS in generating or maintaining sexual differences in animals.
Funder
The Scientific and Technological Innovation Plan of Shanghai Science and Technology Committee
Reference77 articles.
1. Sexual dimorphism in sound production and call characteristics in the striped weakfish Cynoscion guatucupa;Tellechea;Zool. Stud.,2012
2. Mating vocalizations of female frogs: Control and evolutionary mechanisms;Emerson;Brain. Behav. Evol.,1999
3. Sexual dimorphism of chatter-calls and vocal sex recognition in Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa);Taoka;The Auk,1989
4. A sexually dimorphic learned birdsong in the Northern Cardinal;Yamaguchi;Condor,1998
5. Voice breaking in males results in sexual dimorphism of green woodhoopoe calls;Radford;Behaviour,2004