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Menon R, Neumann ID. Detection, processing and reinforcement of social cues: regulation by the oxytocin system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:761-777. [PMID: 37891399 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00759-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Many social behaviours are evolutionarily conserved and are essential for the healthy development of an individual. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is crucial for the fine-tuned regulation of social interactions in mammals. The advent and application of state-of-the-art methodological approaches that allow the activity of neuronal circuits involving OXT to be monitored and functionally manipulated in laboratory mammals have deepened our understanding of the roles of OXT in these behaviours. In this Review, we discuss how OXT promotes the sensory detection and evaluation of social cues, the subsequent approach and display of social behaviour, and the rewarding consequences of social interactions in selected reproductive and non-reproductive social behaviours. Social stressors - such as social isolation, exposure to social defeat or social trauma, and partner loss - are often paralleled by maladaptations of the OXT system, and restoring OXT system functioning can reinstate socio-emotional allostasis. Thus, the OXT system acts as a dynamic mediator of appropriate behavioural adaptations to environmental challenges by enhancing and reinforcing social salience and buffering social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Menon
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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2
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Sancaktar M, Kocamer Şahin Ş, Demir B, Elboğa U, Elboğa G, Altındağ A. Is abnormal metabolism in the olfactory bulb and amygdala associated with bipolar disorder? J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:145-152. [PMID: 36680695 PMCID: PMC9862245 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02587-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Accumulated evidence has demonstrated abnormal amygdala activation in bipolar disorder (BD). The olfactory bulb (OB) has vigorous connections with the amygdala. Although odor-related functions of the OB decreased during the evolutionary process, we hypothesized that an evolved OB with increased activation in emotion regulation may be one of the main factors affecting amygdala functions in BD. Our aim was to investigate metabolism in the OB and amygdala in patients with BD. Twenty-six patients diagnosed with BD according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were included in this cross-sectional study. Metabolism in the OB and amygdala was assessed using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT in patients with BD. The OB and amygdala metabolism was compared with the patients' Z scores. Both OB and amygdala metabolic activities were significantly higher than in the controls. A positive correlation was detected between right/left amygdala metabolism and right OB metabolism (p < 0.05, r:467 and r:662, respectively). This study increased our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of BD. In BD, the main cause of hypermetabolism in the amygdala may be increased metabolism in the OB. During evolution, the OB may have assumed a dominant role in emotional processing rather than olfactory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammet Sancaktar
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Şengül Kocamer Şahin
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
- Department of Psychiatry Osmangazi Neighbourhood, Gaziantep University, University Avenue- 27310 Şehitkamil, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Bahadır Demir
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Umut Elboğa
- Department of NuclearMedıcıne, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Gülçin Elboğa
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Abdurrahman Altındağ
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
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3
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Villamayor PR, Gullón J, Quintela L, Sánchez-Quinteiro P, Martínez P, Robledo D. Sex separation unveils the functional plasticity of the vomeronasal organ in rabbits. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1034254. [PMID: 36340690 PMCID: PMC9634631 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1034254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemosensory cues are vital for social and sexual behaviours and are primarily detected and processed by the vomeronasal system (VNS), whose plastic capacity has been investigated in mice. However, studying chemosensory plasticity outside of laboratory conditions may give a more realistic picture of how the VNS adapts to a changing environment. Rabbits are a well-described model of chemocommunication since the discovery of the rabbit mammary pheromone and their vomeronasal organ (VNO) transcriptome was recently characterised, a first step to further study plasticity-mediated transcriptional changes. In this study, we assessed the plastic capacity of the rabbit male and female VNO under sex-separation vs. sex-combined scenarios, including adults and juveniles, to determine whether the rabbit VNO is plastic and, if so, whether such plasticity is already established at early stages of life. First, we characterised the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the VNO of rabbit male and female under sex-separation and compared it to sex-combined individuals, both in adults and juveniles, finding that differences between male and female were larger in a sex-separated scenario. Secondly, we analysed the number of DEGs between sex-separated and sex-combined scenarios, both in males and females. In adults, both sexes showed a high number of DEGs while in juveniles only females showed differences. Additionally, the vomeronasal receptor genes were strikingly downregulated in sex-separated adult females, whereas in juveniles upregulation was shown for the same condition, suggesting a role of VRs in puberty onset. Finally, we described the environment-modulated plastic capacity of genes involved in reproduction, immunity and VNO functional activity, including G-protein coupled receptors. Our results show that sex-separation induces sex- and stage-specific gene expression differences in the VNO of male and female rabbit, both in adults and juveniles. These results bring out for the first time the plastic capacity of the rabbit VNO, supporting its functional adaptation to specifically respond to a continuous changing environment. Finally, species-specific differences and individual variability should always be considered in VNO studies and overall chemocommunication research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula R. Villamayor
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
- Departamento de Anatomía, Producción Animal e Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
| | | | - Luis Quintela
- Departamento de Patoloxía Animal, Facultade de Veterinaria Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
| | - Pablo Sánchez-Quinteiro
- Departamento de Anatomía, Producción Animal e Ciencias Clínicas Veterinarias, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
| | - Paulino Martínez
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Física, Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
| | - Diego Robledo
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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4
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Tsuji T, Furuhara K, Gerasimenko M, Shabalova A, Cherepanov SM, Minami K, Higashida H, Tsuji C. Oral Supplementation with L-Carnosine Attenuates Social Recognition Deficits in CD157KO Mice via Oxytocin Release. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14040803. [PMID: 35215455 PMCID: PMC8879915 DOI: 10.3390/nu14040803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The outcomes of supplementation with L-carnosine have been investigated in clinical trials in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, reports on the effects of L-carnosine in humans have been inconsistent, and the efficacy of L-carnosine supplementation for improving ASD symptoms has yet to be investigated in animal studies. Here, we examined the effects of oral supplementation with L-carnosine on social deficits in CD157KO mice, a murine model of ASD. Social deficits in CD157KO mice were assessed using a three-chamber social approach test. Oral supplementation with L-carnosine attenuated social behavioral deficits. The number of c-Fos-positive oxytocin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus was increased with L-carnosine supplementation in CD157KO mice after the three-chamber social approach test. We observed an increase in the number of c-Fos-positive neurons in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in social behavior. Although the expression of oxytocin and oxytocin receptors in the hypothalamus was not altered by L-carnosine supplementation, the concentration of oxytocin in cerebrospinal fluid was increased in CD157KO mice by L-carnosine supplementation. These results suggest that L-carnosine supplementation restores social recognition impairments by augmenting the level of released oxytocin. Thus, we could imply the possibility of a safe nutritional intervention for at least some types of ASD in the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Tsuji
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
- Correspondence: (T.T.); (C.T.)
| | - Kazumi Furuhara
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
| | - Maria Gerasimenko
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
| | - Anna Shabalova
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
| | - Stanislav M Cherepanov
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
| | - Kana Minami
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
- Department of Health Development Nursing, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-0934, Japan
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Haruhiro Higashida
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
| | - Chiharu Tsuji
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; (K.F.); (M.G.); (A.S.); (S.M.C.); (K.M.); (H.H.)
- Correspondence: (T.T.); (C.T.)
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5
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Liu Q, Zhang Y, Wang P, Guo X, Wu Y, Zhang JX, Huang L. Two Preputial Gland-Secreted Pheromones Evoke Sexually Dimorphic Neural Pathways in the Mouse Vomeronasal System. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:455. [PMID: 31632243 PMCID: PMC6783556 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Hexadecanol (16OH) and hexadecyl acetate (16Ac) are two pheromones secreted in a large quantity by mouse preputial glands and act on male and female mice differentially. Yet the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we examined the activation of vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) by these two pheromones and mapped the downstream neural circuits that process and relay their chemosignals. Using the calcium imaging method and immunohistochemistry, we found that a small number of VSNs were activated by 16OH, 16AC, or both in the male and female mice, most of which were located apically in the vomeronasal epithelium, and their numbers did not increase when the concentrations of 16OH and 16Ac were raised by 10,000-fold except that of female VSNs in response to 16OH. In the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), the two pheromones evoked more c-Fos+ neurons in the anterior AOB (aAOB) than in the posterior AOB (pAOB); and the increases in the number of c-Fos+ neurons in both aAOB and pAOB were dose-dependent; and between sexes, the female AOB responded more strongly to 16OH than to 16Ac whereas the male AOB had the opposite response pattern. This sexual dimorphism was largely retained in the downstream brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), the medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA), the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nucleus (PMCo), the medial preoptic area (MPA), and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VmH). Taken together, out data indicate that there is one V1r receptor each for 16OH, 16Ac, or both, and that activation of these receptors evokes sexually dimorphic neural circuits, directing different behavioral outputs and possibly modulating other pheromone-induced responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qun Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yaohua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Pan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yijun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liquan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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6
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Karaoglan M, Çolakoğlu Er H. The relationship between the olfactory bulb and precocious puberty: from the nose to the pituitary. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2019; 32:1013-1021. [PMID: 31377742 DOI: 10.1515/jpem-2018-0534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background/objective The olfactory bulb (OB) and pubertal development have a close relationship as they share a common ontogenetic origin. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential relationship between precocious puberty (PP) in girls as a sign of early pubertal timing and their OB volume as an indicator of its functional activity. Design In the study group (n = 125), OB volume, pituitary height (PH), body mass index (BMI) and body surface (S) variables were retrospectively investigated in 49 girls included in the PP group and 76 healthy girls constituting the control group. Volumetric and length measurements were performed on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan by using manual segmentation of slices. Results The mean OB volume (73.41 ± 17.21 mm3) and PH (4.96 ± 1.01 mm) were significantly higher in the PP group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The mean volume difference between the right and left bulbs (1.52 ± 1.87) was higher in the PP group (p = 0.03). The body surface (1.05 ± 0.16 m2) was larger in the PP group (p = 0.09). There was a high correlation between the OB volume and PH (r125 = 0.716). There was a moderate correlation between the body surface and OB volume (r125 = 654), and a weak correlation between the former (S) and the PH (r125 = 452). Conclusions This study showed that there is a strong correlation between increased OB volume and PH in cases with PP. It indicates that increased OB volume may be a strong clue that olfactory functions play a role in pubertal timing in humans, although it does not show definitive proof of a causal relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Karaoglan
- Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, 27070 Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Hale Çolakoğlu Er
- Department of Radiology, Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep, Turkey
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7
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Cho Y, Abu-Ali G, Tashiro H, Brown TA, Osgood RS, Kasahara DI, Huttenhower C, Shore SA. Sex Differences in Pulmonary Responses to Ozone in Mice. Role of the Microbiome. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019; 60:198-208. [PMID: 30240285 PMCID: PMC6376411 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2018-0099oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously reported that the mouse gut microbiome contributes to pulmonary responses to ozone, a common asthma trigger, and that short-chain fatty acids, end products of bacterial fermentation, likely contribute to this role of the microbiome. A growing body of evidence indicates that there are sex-related differences in gut microbiota and these differences can have important functional consequences. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are sex-related differences in the impact of the gut microbiota on pulmonary responses to ozone. After acute exposure to ozone, male mice developed greater airway hyperresponsiveness than female mice. This difference was abolished after antibiotic ablation of the gut microbiome. Moreover, weanling female pups housed in cages conditioned by adult male mice developed greater ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness than weanling female pups raised in cages conditioned by adult females. Finally, ad libitum oral administration via drinking water of the short-chain fatty acid propionate resulted in augmented ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in male, but not female, mice. Overall, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that the microbiome contributes to sex differences in ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness, likely as a result of sex differences in the response to short-chain fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Galeb Abu-Ali
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | - Curtis Huttenhower
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Jennings KJ, Chasles M, Cho H, Mikkelsen J, Bentley G, Keller M, Kriegsfeld LJ. The Preoptic Area and the RFamide-Related Peptide Neuronal System Gate Seasonal Changes in Chemosensory Processing. Integr Comp Biol 2017; 57:1055-1065. [PMID: 28985371 PMCID: PMC6251579 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Males of many species rely on chemosensory information for social communication. In male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), as in many species, female chemosignals potently stimulate sexual behavior and a concurrent, rapid increase in circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T). However, under winter-like, short-day (SD) photoperiods, when Syrian hamsters are reproductively quiescent, these same female chemosignals fail to elicit behavioral or hormonal responses, even after T replacement. It is currently unknown where in the brain chemosensory processing is gated in a seasonally dependent manner such that reproductive responses are only displayed during the appropriate breeding season. The goal of the present study was to determine where this gating occurred by identifying neural loci that respond differentially to female chemosignals across photoperiods, independent of circulating T concentrations. Adult male Syrian hamsters were housed under either long-day (LD) (reproductively active) or SD (reproductively inactive) photoperiods with half of the SD animals receiving T replacement. Animals were exposed to either female hamster vaginal secretions (FHVSs) diluted in mineral oil or to vehicle, and the activational state of chemosensory processing centers and elements of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis were examined. Components of the chemosensory pathway upstream of hypothalamic centers increased expression of FOS, an indirect marker of neuronal activation, similarly across photoperiods. In contrast, the preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus responded to FHVS only in LD animals, consistent with its role in promoting expression of male sexual behavior. Within the neuroendocrine axis, the RF-amide related peptide (RFRP), but not the kisspeptin neuronal system responded to FHVS only in LD animals. Neither response within the POA or the RFRP neuronal system was rescued by T replacement in SD animals, mirroring photoperiodic regulation of reproductive responses. Considering the POA and the RFRP neuronal system promote reproductive behavior and function in male Syrian hamsters, differential activation of these systems represents a potential means by which photoperiod limits expression of reproduction to the appropriate environmental context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manon Chasles
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology Research Unit, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hweyryoung Cho
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jens Mikkelsen
- Department of Neurology and Neurobiology Research Unit, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - George Bentley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Matthieu Keller
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 0085 INRA, Centre Val-de-Loire, Nouzilly F-37380, France
| | - Lance J Kriegsfeld
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Oboti L, Trova S, Schellino R, Marraudino M, Harris NR, Abiona OM, Stampar M, Lin W, Peretto P. Activity Dependent Modulation of Granule Cell Survival in the Accessory Olfactory Bulb at Puberty. Front Neuroanat 2017; 11:44. [PMID: 28588456 PMCID: PMC5440572 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The vomeronasal system (VNS) is specialized in the detection of salient chemical cues triggering social and neuroendocrine responses. Such responses are not always stereotyped, instead, they vary depending on age, sex, and reproductive state, yet the mechanisms underlying this variability are unclear. Here, by analyzing neuronal survival in the first processing nucleus of the VNS, namely the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), through multiple bromodeoxyuridine birthdating protocols, we show that exposure of female mice to male soiled bedding material affects the integration of newborn granule interneurons mainly after puberty. This effect is induced by urine compounds produced by mature males, as bedding soiled by younger males was ineffective. The granule cell increase induced by mature male odor exposure is not prevented by pre-pubertal ovariectomy, indicating a lesser role of circulating estrogens in this plasticity. Interestingly, the intake of adult male urine-derived cues by the female vomeronasal organ increases during puberty, suggesting a direct correlation between sensory activity and AOB neuronal plasticity. Thus, as odor exposure increases the responses of newly born cells to the experienced stimuli, the addition of new GABAergic inhibitory cells to the AOB might contribute to the shaping of vomeronasal processing of male cues after puberty. Consistently, only after puberty, female mice are capable to discriminate individual male odors through the VNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Oboti
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Health System, WashingtonDC, United States
| | - Sara Trova
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of TorinoOrbassano, Italy
| | - Roberta Schellino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of TorinoOrbassano, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Marilena Marraudino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of TorinoOrbassano, Italy.,Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Natalie R Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, BaltimoreMD, United States
| | - Olubukola M Abiona
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, BaltimoreMD, United States
| | - Mojca Stampar
- Research Center for Genetic Medicine, Children's National Health System, WashingtonDC, United States
| | - Weihong Lin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, BaltimoreMD, United States
| | - Paolo Peretto
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of TorinoOrbassano, Italy
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10
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Garner JP, Gaskill BN, Pritchett-Corning KR. Two of a Kind or a Full House? Reproductive Suppression and Alloparenting in Laboratory Mice. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154966. [PMID: 27148872 PMCID: PMC4858245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alloparenting, a behavior in which individuals other than the actual parents act in a parental role, is seen in many mammals, including house mice. In wild house mice, alloparental care is only seen when familiar sibling females simultaneously immigrate to a male's territory, so in the laboratory, when a pair of unfamiliar female wild mice are mated with a male, alloparenting does not occur because one female will typically be reproductively suppressed. In contrast, laboratory mice are assumed to alloparent regardless of familiarity or relatedness and are therefore routinely trio bred to increase productivity. Empirical evidence supporting the presence of alloparental care in laboratory mice is lacking. Albino and pigmented inbred mice of the strain C57BL/6NCrl (B6) and outbred mice of the stock Crl:CF1 (CF1) were used to investigate alloparenting in laboratory mice since by mating pigmented and albino females with albino males of the same stock or strain, maternal parentage was easily determined. We housed pairs (M:F) or trios (M:2F) of mice in individually ventilated cages containing nesting material and followed reproductive performance for 16 weeks. Females in trios were tested to determine dominance at the start of the experiment, and again 5 days after the birth of a litter to determine if a female's dominance shifted with the birth of pups. Results showed a significant and expected difference in number of offspring produced by B6 and CF1 (p < 0.0001). Pigmented mice nursed and nested with albino pups and vice-versa, confirming empirical observations from many that group nesting and alloparenting occurs in unrelated laboratory mice. When overall production of both individual mice and cages was examined, reproductive suppression was seen in trio cages. Dominance testing with the tube test did not correlate female reproduction with female dominance in a female-female dyad. Due to the reproductive suppression noted in trios, on a per-mouse basis, pair mating outperformed trio mating (p = 0.02) when the measure was weaned pups/female/week. No infanticide was seen in any cages, so the mechanism of reproductive suppression in trio matings may occur before birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P. Garner
- Stanford University, Department of Comparative Medicine, and by courtesy, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Brianna N. Gaskill
- Charles River, Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Purdue University Department of Comparative Pathobiology, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Kathleen R. Pritchett-Corning
- Charles River, Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Office of Animal Resources, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Rebel AA, Urquhart SA, Puig KL, Ghatak A, Brose SA, Golovko MY, Combs CK. Brain changes associated with thromboxane receptor antagonist SQ 29,548 treatment in a mouse model. J Neurosci Res 2015; 93:1279-92. [PMID: 25703023 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to characterize behavioral and physiological effects of a selective thromboxane (TP) receptor antagonist, SQ 29,548, in the C57Bl/6 mouse model. At 6 months of age, male mice were given either sham or drug i.p. injections for 3 days at a dose of 2 mg/kg each day. On the day after the final injection, mice were subjected to behavioral testing before brain collection. Left hemisphere hippocampi were collected from all mice for protein analysis via Western blot. Right brain hemispheres were fixed and embedded in gelatin and then serially sectioned. The sections were immunostained with anti-c-Fos antibodies. Prostaglandin analysis was performed from remaining homogenized brain samples, minus the hippocampi. Injection of SQ 29,548 decreased selective brain prostaglandin levels compared with sham controls. This correlated with robust increases in limbic-region c-Fos immunoreactivity in the SQ 29,548-injected mice. However, drug-treated mice demonstrated no significant changes in relevant hippocampal protein levels compared with sham treatments, as determined from Western blots. Surprisingly, injection of SQ 29,548 caused mixed changes in parameters of depression and anxiety-like behavior in the mice. In conclusion, the results indicate that administration of peripheral TP receptor antagonists alters brain levels of prostanoids and influences neuronal activity, with only minimal alterations of behavior. Whether the drug affects neurons directly or through a secondary pathway involving endothelium or other tissues remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Rebel
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Siri A Urquhart
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Kendra L Puig
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Atreyi Ghatak
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Stephen A Brose
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Mikhail Y Golovko
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
| | - Colin K Combs
- Department of Basic Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, North Dakota
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