SRA

Human speech is one of the few examples of vocal learning among mammals, yet ~half of avian species exhibit this ability. Its genetic basis is unknown beyond a shared requirement for FoxP2 in both humans and zebra finches. Here we manipulated FoxP2 isoforms in Area X during a critical period for song development, delineating, for the first time, unique contributions of each to vocal learning. We used weighted gene coexpression network analysis of RNA-seq data to construct transcriptional profiles and found gene modules correlated to singing, learning, or vocal variability. The juvenile song modules were preserved adults, whereas the learning modules were not. The learning modules were preserved in the striatopallidum adjacent to Area X whereas the song modules were not. The confluence of learning and singing coexpression in juvenile, but not adult, Area X may underscore molecular processes that drive vocal learning in zebra finches and, by analogy, humans. Overall design: 19 samples each from Area X and VSP for birds injected in Area X with AAV1 to overexpress GFP, full length FoxP2, or truncated FoxP2. Biological replicates but not technical replicates are included.