Figure 9.

Functional analyses based on splice variant data. Transcript isoforms shown to be differentially expressed in the hypothalamus of tame vs. aggressive foxes was analyzed with WEB-based Gene SeT AnaLysis Toolkit (WebGestalt, http://www.webgestalt.org/option.php)⁵⁷. To perform this analyses, the canine genes were converted to their human orthologs, and three functional analyses were then considered: A) Diseases based on Disgenet database, which reveals that several human neurological diseases, including neurodegenerative, anxiety, and learning and memory disorders, and Alzheimer Disease; B) Phenotype based on Human_Phenotype _Orthology. This functional analysis revealed the splice form differences between the two groups of foxes are associated with human phenotypic conditions, including repetitive compulsive behavior, memory impairment, restlessness, and stereotypy. C) KEGG pathway functional analysis showed that these transcript differences are linked to various types of carbohydrate and lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, glucagon signaling pathway, drug metabolism, calcium signaling pathway, and cell adhesion molecules (CAM).