Study: social status affects primates' genes expression
By Xinhua in Washington | China Daily | Updated: 2012-04-11 08:03
The ranking of a monkey within its social environment and the stress accompanying that status dramatically alters the expression of nearly 1,000 genes, said a study published online on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In a comparison of high-ranking rhesus macaque females with their low-ranking companions, researchers discovered significant differences in the expression of genes involved in the immune response and other functions.
When a female's rank improved, her gene expression also changed within a few weeks, suggesting that social forces can rapidly influence genetic regulation.
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