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Citation |
Anholt RR, Mackay TF. Annu. rev. genet. 2012; 46: 145-164. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Zoology, Department of Genetics, and W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617; email: anholt@ncsu.edu. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2012, Annual Reviews) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
22934647 |
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Abstract |
Aggression mediates competition for food, mating partners, and habitats and, among social animals, establishes stable dominance hierarchies. In humans, abnormal aggression is a hallmark of neuropsychiatric disorders and can be elicited by environmental factors acting on an underlying genetic susceptibility. Identifying the genetic architecture that predisposes to aggressive behavior in people is challenging because of difficulties in quantifying the phenotype, genetic heterogeneity, and uncontrolled environmental conditions. Studies on mice have identified single gene mutations that result in hyperaggression, contingent on genetic background. These studies can be complemented by systems genetics approaches in Drosophila melanogaster, in which mutational analyses together with genome-wide transcript analyses, artificial selection studies, and genome-wide analysis of epistasis have revealed that a large segment of the genome contributes to the manifestation of aggressive behavior with widespread epistatic interactions. Comparative genomic analyses based on the principle of evolutionarily conservation are needed to enable a complete dissection of the neurogenetic underpinnings of this universal fitness trait. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Genetics Volume 46 is November 02, 2012. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/catalog/pubdates.aspx for revised estimates. Language: en |