Question

Monogamous prairie voles differ from most other rodents in that...

a. Prairie voles have an expansion of non-coding DNA that precedes a vasopressin receptor gene
and that appears to affect its transcription rate in different tissues.
b. Most other rodents lack all vasopressin receptors.
c. Vasopressin activity in prairie vole neural tissue is greatly reduced.
d. Prairie voles have only one copy of all vasopressin receptors.
e. None of the above

Answer 1

Prairie voles are unique among rodents because of an expansion in non-coding DNA affecting the transcription of a vasopressin receptor gene, contributing to their social pair-bonding behaviors.

Step-by-step explanation:

Monogamous prairie voles differ from most other rodents in that a. Prairie voles have an expansion of non-coding DNA that precedes a vasopressin receptor gene and that appears to affect its transcription rate in different tissues. This is significant because vasopressin is a hormone linked to social and pair-bonding behaviors, which are prominent in prairie voles but less so in other rodents.

The presence of the non-coding DNA and its influence on gene expression could be a factor contributing to the unique social behaviors observed in prairie voles, such as monogamy and pair-bonding.