Monoamine oxidase polymorphisms in rhesus and Japanese macaques (Macaca mulatta and M. fuscata)

The role of monoamine oxidase A in the neurobiology of aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior: A tale of mice and men

“…The rhMAOA-LPR features 4, 5, 6, or 7 copies of an 18-bp repeat highly similar to that observed in gorillas (ACCGGCACTG GCACVACT) (Newman et al, 2005;Wendland et al, 2006;Jones et al, 2020). Available data suggest that the four alleles have different frequencies, with a possible predominance of the 7R variant (4R: 0-1%; 5R: 15-35%; 6R: 25-43%; 7R: 40-41%) (Wendland et al, 2006;Jones et al, 2020). Based on in vitro studies, the 5 and 6 R alleles were found to transcribe at a higher rate than 7R variants (Newman et al, 2005).…”

“…Most of the information on MAOA VNTRs in non-human primates and their functional implications comes from a VNTR in Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), featuring an orthologous polymorphism (rhMAOA-LPR) in the upstream regulatory region of the MAOA gene in macaques, at 1.1 kb from the initiation site of the MAOA gene (Newman et al, 2005). The rhMAOA-LPR features 4, 5, 6, or 7 copies of an 18-bp repeat highly similar to that observed in gorillas (ACCGGCACTG GCACVACT) (Newman et al, 2005;Wendland et al, 2006;Jones et al, 2020). Available data suggest that the four alleles have different frequencies, with a possible predominance of the 7R variant (4R: 0-1%; 5R: 15-35%; 6R: 25-43%; 7R: 40-41%) (Wendland et al, 2006;Jones et al, 2020).…”

“…The same 18-bp repeat motif has been identified in the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata), the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), and several species of baboons (Papio gen.). However, the distribution of variants diverges greatly within each species; for example, gelada only showed a 6R variant (Wendland et al, 2006), while M. fuscata displays 6R and 7R alleles (Jones et al, 2020). Different species of baboons show 8,9, or 10 copies of the repeat, with varying distributions of frequency depending on their origin (Kalbitzer et al, 2016).…”

The relationship of maternal rank, 5‐HTTLPR genotype, and MAOA‐LPR genotype to temperament in infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

“…For example, attempts to replicate the classic study by Caspi's group (Caspi et al, 2002 ) that showed that maltreated children with the low activity variant were more likely to develop conduct disorder than were their peers with the high activity alleles, have not always been successful (Haberstick et al, 2005 ; Young et al, 2006 ). In addition, when in vivo methods have been used to determine functionality of the MAOA‐LPR alleles, the low‐ and high‐activity variants have sometimes not been found to differ (Jones et al, 2020 ; Shumay et al, 2012 ). Finally, evidence is accumulating that methylation of the MAOA promoter may play a greater role in some outcomes than genotype itself (Shumay et al, 2012 ; Ziegler et al, 2016 ).…”