Transcriptome analysis of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the experimentally domesticated fox

Variation in activity of the hormonal stress response, or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, has been associated with different personality traits and coping styles in humans and animals, while its dysregulation has been implicated in psychological disorders. The molecular basis of HPA axis regulation, however, is not yet well understood. Here, foxes selectively bred for tameness or aggression are used as a model to investigate differences in regulation of the HPA axis. Activity of this axis is markedly reduced in tame compared to aggressive foxes, with reduced levels of HPA axis hormones such as adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol both basally and in response to a stressor. Gene expression differences were analyzed using RNA sequencing in the anterior pituitary and adrenal glands of foxes from the tame and aggressive lines, and variant analysis was performed on RNA reads from hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and adrenal tissues from the same foxes. Pituitary analysis revealed expression differences in genes related to exocytosis and cellular signaling; adrenals analysis identified differences in similar pathways, in addition to genes related to fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. Variant analysis also implicated cell signaling and exocytosis, as well as ion transport and DNA damage repair. These findings suggest the importance of regulation of hormone release in the control of ACTH and cortisol levels. They also suggest that metabolism of precursors to cortisol, such as fatty acids and cholesterol, may be of greater importance in HPA axis regulation than synthesis of cortisol itself. Finally, in conjunction with previous genomic findings, they suggest an association between DNA repair mechanisms and selection for tameness. These findings provide possible new lines of investigation into biological underpinnings of the phenotypic differences between the tame and aggressive lines of foxes. More broadly, as the tame foxes are considered experimentally domesticated, the findings from this project may prove applicable to HPA axis regulation differences associated with domestication in other species. Additionally, a deeper understanding of HPA axis regulation and dysregulation may be applicable both to variation in the normal population, particularly as related to behavioral traits such as coping styles, and to a number of psychiatric disorders in humans, as well as to behavioral disorders in other species, such as dogs

Advancing Genetic Selection and Behavioral Genomics of Working Dogs Through Collaborative Science

The ancient partnership between people and dogs is struggling to meet modern day needs, with demand exceeding our capacity to safely breed high-performing and healthy dogs. New statistical genetic approaches and genomic technology have the potential to revolutionize dog breeding, by transitioning from problematic phenotypic selection to methods that can preserve genetic diversity while increasing the proportion of successful dogs. To fully utilize this technology will require ultra large datasets, with hundreds of thousands of dogs. Today, dog breeders struggle to apply even the tools available now, stymied by the need for sophisticated data storage infrastructure and expertise in statistical genetics. Here, we review recent advances in animal breeding, and how a new approach to dog breeding would address the needs of working dog breeders today while also providing them with a path to realizing the next generation of technology. We provide a step-by-step guide for dog breeders to start implementing estimated breeding value selection in their programs now, and we describe how genotyping and DNA sequencing data, as it becomes more widely available, can be integrated into this approach. Finally, we call for data sharing among dog breeding programs as a path to achieving a future that can benefit all dogs, and their human partners too

Combining Citizen Science and Genomics to Investigate Tick, Pathogen, and Commensal Microbiome at Single-Tick Resolution

The prevalence of tickborne diseases worldwide is increasing virtually unchecked due to the lack of effective control strategies. The transmission dynamics of tickborne pathogens are influenced by the tick microbiome, tick co-infection with other pathogens, and environmental features. Understanding this complex system could lead to new strategies for pathogen control, but will require large-scale, high-resolution data. Here, we introduce Project Acari, a citizen science-based project to assay, at single-tick resolution, species, pathogen infection status, microbiome profile, and environmental conditions of tens of thousands of ticks collected from numerous sites across the United States. In the first phase of the project, we collected more than 2,400 ticks wild-caught by citizen scientists and developed high-throughput methods to process and sequence them individually. Applying these methods to 192 Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in a region with a high incidence of Lyme disease, we found that 62% were colonized by Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease pathogen. In contrast to previous reports, we did not find an association between the microbiome diversity of a tick and its probability of carrying B. burgdorferi. However, we did find undescribed associations between B. burgdorferi carriage and the presence of specific microbial taxa within individual ticks. Our findings underscore the power of coupling citizen science with high-throughput processing to reveal pathogen dynamics. Our approach can be extended for massively parallel screening of individual ticks, offering a powerful tool to elucidate the ecology of tickborne disease and to guide pathogen-control initiatives

Salivary cortisol in healthy hospitalized dogs

<p>Spreadsheet of salivary cortisol values, age/weight/breed/sedation status of dogs. Collected on their first night in a hospital. Hospitalized for elective procedures.</p

Psychogenic Stress in Hospitalized Dogs: Cross Species Comparisons, Implications for Health Care, and the Challenges of Evaluation

Evidence to support the existence of health consequences of psychogenic stress has been documented across a range of domestic species. A general understanding of methods of recognition and means of mitigation of psychogenic stress in hospitalized animals is arguably an important feature of the continuing efforts of clinicians to improve the well-being and health of dogs and other veterinary patients. The intent of this review is to describe, in a variety of species: the physiology of the stress syndrome, with particular attention to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; causes and characteristics of psychogenic stress; mechanisms and sequelae of stress-induced immune dysfunction; and other adverse effects of stress on health outcomes. Following that, we describe general aspects of the measurement of stress and the role of physiological measures and behavioral signals that may predict stress in hospitalized animals, specifically focusing on dogs

Transcriptome Analysis in Domesticated Species: Challenges and Strategies

Domesticated species occupy a special place in the human world due to their economic and cultural value. In the era of genomic research, domesticated species provide unique advantages for investigation of diseases and complex phenotypes. RNA sequencing, or RNA-seq, has recently emerged as a new approach for studying transcriptional activity of the whole genome, changing the focus from individual genes to gene networks. RNA-seq analysis in domesticated species may complement genome-wide association studies of complex traits with economic importance or direct relevance to biomedical research. However, RNA-seq studies are more challenging in domesticated species than in model organisms. These challenges are at least in part associated with the lack of quality genome assemblies for some domesticated species and the absence of genome assemblies for others. In this review, we discuss strategies for analyzing RNA-seq data, focusing particularly on questions and examples relevant to domesticated species

Public negative labeling effects on team interaction and performance

Across four studies, we examine how public negative labeling, which is when a group member is publicly identified as bad, affects team performance. Across three experiments and one field study, we test and find support for our model, that public negative labeling undermines team performance via reduced perceptions of team interaction quality. Our study contributes to the expansive conversation on team effectiveness which highlights that “fighting fire with fire” in terms of public negative labeling is ineffective for dealing with uncivil workplace behavior

Behavioral predictors of subsequent respiratory illness signs in dogs admitted to an animal shelter.

Individual variability is evident in behavior and physiology of animals. Determining whether behavior at intake may predict subsequent illness in the animal shelter may influence the management of dogs housed at animal shelters and reduce overall disease. While normally associated with mild disease and low mortality rates, respiratory disease nevertheless poses significant challenges to the management of dogs in the stressful environment of animal shelters due to its highly infectious nature. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore whether behavior at intake can predict subsequent occurrence and progression of upper respiratory disease in dogs at animal shelters. In a correlational study, 84 dogs were assessed throughout their stay at a city animal shelter. The dogs were subjected to a behavioral assessment, 1 min in-kennel behavioral observations across two observation periods, and the collection of urinary cortisol:creatinine (C:C) ratio. The occurrence and progression of upper respiratory disease was monitored through repeated clinical exams (rectal temperature and the occurrence of nasal and ocular discharge, and presence of coughing and sneezing). A basic PLS Path regression model revealed that time in the shelter (estimate = .53, p < .001), and sociability (estimate = .24, p < .001) and curiosity scores (estimate = .09, p = .026) were associated with increased illness. Activity and anxiety scores, however, were not associated with illness. Urinary C:C, taken on the first full day, did not predict subsequent illness when accounting for time. Limitations included attrition of dogs, a small percentage receiving vaccinations, and continuous and non-systematic rotation of dogs in the kennels. Understanding if behavior can predict subsequent illness may improve shelter management practices, and in turn, result in improved live-release outcomes