Summary: Abstract: Juvenile zebra finches learn to sing by imitating songs of adult males early in life. The development of the song control circuit and the song learning and maturation processes are highly intertwined, involving gene expression, neurogenesis, circuit formation, synaptic modification, and sensory-motor learning, which eventually lead to a mature song. To better understand the genetic mechanisms underlying these events, we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to profile genome-wide transcriptomes in the HVC, a brain nucleus controlling song behavior, in juvenile and adult zebra finches. We found that gene expression programs related to axon guidance, RNA metabolism, lipid metabolism, and ATP synthesis were enriched in the HVC relative to the rest of the brain in juveniles. As juveniles matured into adults, massive gene expression changes occurred in the HVC. Gene expression shifted from amino acid metabolism, laminin interaction, cell proliferation, and mitochondrial protein translation to synaptic functions; genes associated with G protein coupled-receptors, GTPase signaling, ion channels, and inhibitory transmission increased expression. Unexpectedly, a group of genes known for their functions in the immune system was also developmentally regulated in the HVC. These data will serve as a rich resource for further analysis of development and function of a neural circuit that controls vocal behavior.
Overall Design: Sequencing cDNA libraries from HVC and whole brain tissues at 45 and 100 days of age
