ZENK Gene

When a bird hears a song, cells in the bird’s brain alter their biochemistry to alter gene expression and protein production that reshape cells in the learning center.  Allowing the bird to now do things it couldn’t before being exposed to the song.  One of the genes that contributes to these changes is ZENK which codes for a protein ZENK.  The ZENK protein is produced when a bird hears a song and is a transcription factor that regulates other genes influencing the way neurons interact with other neurons which can alter a bird’s behavior.