Conserved Transcriptomic Profiles Underpin Monogamy across Vertebrates

We compare fore- and mid-brain transcriptomes of reproductive males in monogamous and non-monogamous species pairs of Peromyscus mice, Microtus voles, parid songbirds, dendrobatid frogs, and Xenotilapia species of cichlid fishes. Our study provides evidence of a universal transcriptomic mechanism underlying the evolution of monogamy in vertebrates. Overall design: Fore- and mid-brain mRNA of reproductive males samples (n=3) were pooled and sequenced using an Illuma HiSeq platform.