研究方向
饶毅实验室研究构成社会行为和社会认知基础的分子和细胞机制。社会行为是指同一物种内一个个体对另一个个体产生的行为。从动物的攻击、求偶和交配行为，到人类的政治和战争都属于社会行为的范畴。我们研究的对象是果蝇、小鼠及包括人在内的灵长类动物，旨在了解从昆虫到灵长类动物皆重要的机制。在果蝇及小鼠中我们集中研究攻击、求偶和母性行为。为了确定相关分子、神经元和脑区的功能，我们采用分子生物学、生物物理学、遗传学、神经生物学等多学科方法，希望发现特定社会行为所必需的分子及神经环路。我们也使用遗传分析、基因组学和脑成像的手段研究对灵长类的社会认知和社会行为重要的基因和环境因子。
代表性论文
1. Deng BW, Li Q, Liu XX, Cao Y, Li BF, Qian YJ, Xu R, Mao RB, Zhou EX, Zhang WX, Huang J and Rao Y (2019) Chemoconnectomics: mapping chemical transmission in Drosophila. Neuron 101:876-893.
2. Chen BQ, Zhu, ZJ, Wang YY, Ding XH, Guo XB, He MG, Fang W, Zhou SB, Zhou Q, Huang AL, Chen TM, Ni DS, Gu YP, Liu JN, Lei H, Rao Y (2018). Nature vs. nurture in human sociality: multi-level genomic analyses of social conformity. J Hum Genet 63:605-619.
3. Liu WW, Liang XH, Li YN, Gong JX, Yang Z, Zhang YH, Zhang JX and Rao Y (2011). Social regulation of aggression mediated by pheromonal activation of Or65a olfactory receptor neurons in Drosophila. Nature Neurosci 7:896-902.
4. Liu Y, Jiang Y, Si Y, Kim J-Y, Chen Z-F, and Rao Y (2011). Molecular regulation of sexual preference revealed by genetic studies of 5-HT in the brain of male mice. Nature 472:95-99.
5. Zhou C, Rao Y, and Rao Y (2008). A subset of octopaminergic neurons are important for Drosophila aggression. Nature Neurosci 11:1059-1067.
6. Jiang H, Guo W, Liang XH, and Y Rao (2005). Both the establishment and the maintenance of neuronal polarity require active mechanisms: critical roles of GSK-3beta and its upstream regulators. Cell 120:123-135.
7. Wu W, Wong K, Chen JH, Jiang ZH, Dupuis S, Wu JY, and Rao Y (1999). Directional guidance of neuronal migration in the olfactory system by the secreted protein Slit. Nature 400:331-336.
8. Rao Y, Jan LY, and Jan YN (1990). Similarity of the product of the Drosophila neurogenic gene big brain to transmembrane channel proteins. Nature 345:163-167.
