Mice Unique Singing Behavior May Shed Light on Language Deficit in Humans

Researchers are studying the gene that is contributing to mice singing behavior, which may shed light on the effect of genes on human speech.

Male mice squeak out at least 20 chirps per second to show that they are competent than other males and to grab the females' attention for mating. Unlike birds which are capable of singing varied songs, these mice stick to a single tune and sing what looks more like a rapid chirp.

"We can choose any number of traits to study but we try and choose traits that are not only interesting for their own sake but also have some biomedical relevance,"  Steven Phelps, from the University of Texas at Austin, researcher and lead author of the study, said in a statement. "We take advantage of the unique property of the species."

Researcher Steven Phelps examined the gene known as FOXP2 that plays a significant role in the unique singing behavior of mice. While the gene is similar to the gene found in other mice species and humans, Phelps wanted to find out which part of the gene contributed to the singing behavior.

A single mutation in the FOXP2 gene has affected humans and caused language expression problems among them. Phelps' research involved testing the unique sequence that gives the singing behavior to the mouse, and for the evidence of natural selection that removes mutations with no effects from those that contribute to the singing behavior.

For the study, Phelps has been using next-generation sequencing to decode how the FOXP2 gene interacts with DNA and their association with other gene mutations. FOXP2 gene has control over the expression of other genes. This could mean that when a mutation occurs in the gene, it may affect the expression of speech among humans.

By hearing to the mouse song recordings and observing the gene patterns, the research team is trying to find out what sets the FOXP2 expression in mice.

"We found that when an animal hears a song from the same species, the neurons that carry FOXP2 become activated. So we think that FOXP2 may play a role in integrating that information," Lauren O'Connell, a post-doctoral researcher in the Phelps lab, said in a statement.

The researchers hope that the study will help in understanding what role does this gene play in contributing to language problems, mainly among patients suffering from autism.