← Scientists have uncovered social behavior in response to intra-mouse squeaking/speaking !!!
This topic is “made for” these GEITP pages, i.e. the gene-environment interactions theme leaps out. The environmental signal is “light” or “absence of light” (i.e. day vs night, light-dark cycles called circadian rhythm), and virtually all animals “sense” these signals; their response then comprises multiple genetic networks (encoded by their genomes), which regulate physiological and critical life functions. This “circadian clock” is one of the best-characterized mechanisms” studied — that can mediate effects of “environmental cues” on molecular, physiological and behavioral activities.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central circadian pacemaker in mammals; the SCN receives photic information via the retina, integrates time-related information of tissues and organs, and then transmits timing information to cells and tissues, which in turn regulate physiology and behavior to cause animals to respond to daily changes of environmental cues. Chronic misalignment between the circadian clock and the environment — has been implicated in many pathological processes (e.g. sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer).
In humans, dysfunction or misalignment of the circadian clock with environmental cues — can alter timing of the sleep-wake cycle. Mice with mutations orthologous to human mutations (PER2*Ser662Gly, CK1*δT44A) recapitulate human phase-advanced behavioral rhythms. Transgenic mice carrying the Per1*Ser714Gly mutation affects feeding behavior, indicating that mice are a good model for human circadian functions. In addition, activity, feeding, temperature, and glucocorticoid signals — can also affect circadian rhythmicity. These are all zeitgebers (rhythmically occurring natural phenomena that act as cues to regulate the body’s circadian rhythms) and will impart phase information on their target tissues; circadian misalignment is therefore a consequence of conflicting signals of these zeitgebers.
