bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.13.897637; this version posted January 16, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Merritt et al., 13 JAN 2020 – preprint copy – bioRxiv A behavioral polymorphism caused by a single gene inside a supergene Jennifer R. Merritta,1, Kathleen E. Grogana, Wendy M. Zinzow-Kramera, Dan Sunb, Eric A. Ortlundc, Soojin V. Yib, Donna L. Maneya a Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 b School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 c Department of Biochemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 1 Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract Behavioral evolution relies on genetic changes, yet few social behaviors can be traced to specific genetic seQuences in vertebrates. Here, we show experimental evidence that differentiation of a single gene has contributed to divergent behavioral phenotypes in the white-throated sparrow, a common North American songbird. In this species, one of two alleles of ESR1, encoding estrogen receptor a (ERa), has been captured inside a differentiating supergene that segregates with an aggressive phenotype, such that ESR1 expression predicts aggression. Here, we show that the aggressive phenotype associated with the supergene is prevented by ESR1 knockdown in a single brain region. Next, we show that in a free-living population, aggression is predicted by allelic imbalance favoring the supergene allele. Cis-regulatory variation between the two alleles affects transcription factor binding sites, DNA methylation, and rates of transcription.