1
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Vogt CC, Zipple MN, Sprockett DD, Miller CH, Hardy SX, Arthur MK, Greenstein AM, Colvin MS, Michel LM, Moeller AH, Sheehan MJ. Female behavior drives the formation of distinct social structures in C57BL/6J versus wild-derived outbred mice in field enclosures. BMC Biol 2024; 22:35. [PMID: 38355587 PMCID: PMC10865716 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01809-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social behavior and social organization have major influences on individual health and fitness. Yet, biomedical research focuses on studying a few genotypes under impoverished social conditions. Understanding how lab conditions have modified social organizations of model organisms, such as lab mice, relative to natural populations is a missing link between socioecology and biomedical science. RESULTS Using a common garden design, we describe the formation of social structure in the well-studied laboratory mouse strain, C57BL/6J, in replicated mixed-sex populations over 10-day trials compared to control trials with wild-derived outbred house mice in outdoor field enclosures. We focus on three key features of mouse social systems: (i) territory establishment in males, (ii) female social relationships, and (iii) the social networks formed by the populations. Male territorial behaviors were similar but muted in C57 compared to wild-derived mice. Female C57 sharply differed from wild-derived females, showing little social bias toward cage mates and exploring substantially more of the enclosures compared to all other groups. Female behavior consistently generated denser social networks in C57 than in wild-derived mice. CONCLUSIONS C57 and wild-derived mice individually vary in their social and spatial behaviors which scale to shape overall social organization. The repeatable societies formed under field conditions highlights opportunities to experimentally study the interplay between society and individual biology using model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb C Vogt
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
| | - Matthew N Zipple
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Daniel D Sprockett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Caitlin H Miller
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Summer X Hardy
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Matthew K Arthur
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Adam M Greenstein
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Melanie S Colvin
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Lucie M Michel
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Andrew H Moeller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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2
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Real MVF, Colvin MS, Sheehan MJ, Moeller AH. Major urinary protein ( Mup) gene family deletion drives sex-specific alterations in the house-mouse gut microbiota. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0356623. [PMID: 38170981 PMCID: PMC10846032 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03566-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota is shaped by host metabolism. In house mice (Mus musculus), major urinary protein (MUP) pheromone production represents a considerable energy investment, particularly in sexually mature males. Deletion of the Mup gene family shifts mouse metabolism toward an anabolic state, marked by lipogenesis, lipid accumulation, and body mass increases. Given the metabolic implications of MUPs, they may also influence the gut microbiota. Here, we investigated the effect of a deletion of the Mup gene family on the gut microbiota of sexually mature mice. Shotgun metagenomics revealed distinct taxonomic and functional profiles between wild-type and knockout males but not females. Deletion of the Mup gene cluster significantly reduced diversity in microbial families and functions in male mice. Additionally, a species of Ruminococcaceae and several microbial functions, such as transporters involved in vitamin B5 acquisition, were significantly depleted in the microbiota of Mup knockout males. Altogether, these results show that MUPs significantly affect the gut microbiota of house mouse in a sex-specific manner.IMPORTANCEThe community of microorganisms that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract can have profound effects on host phenotypes. The gut microbiota is in turn shaped by host genes, including those involved with host metabolism. In adult male house mice, expression of the major urinary protein (Mup) gene cluster represents a substantial energy investment, and deletion of the Mup gene family leads to fat accumulation and weight gain in males. We show that deleting Mup genes also alters the gut microbiota of male, but not female, mice in terms of both taxonomic and functional compositions. Male mice without Mup genes harbored fewer gut bacterial families and reduced abundance of a species of Ruminococcaceae, a family that has been previously shown to reduce obesity risk. Studying the impact of the Mup gene family on the gut microbiota has the potential to reveal the ways in which these genes affect host phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalena V. F. Real
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Melanie S. Colvin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Andrew H. Moeller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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3
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Macholán M, Daniszová K, Hiadlovská Z. The Expansion of House Mouse Major Urinary Protein Genes Likely Did Not Facilitate Commensalism with Humans. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2090. [PMID: 38003032 PMCID: PMC10671799 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse wild-derived strains (WDSs) combine the advantages of classical laboratory stocks and wild animals, and thus appear to be promising tools for diverse biomedical and evolutionary studies. We employed 18 WDSs representing three non-synanthropic species (Mus spretus, Mus spicilegus, and M. macedonicus) and three house mouse subspecies (Mus musculus musculus, M. m. domesticus, M. m. castaneus), which are all important human commensals to explore whether the number of major urinary protein (MUP) genes and their final protein levels in urine are correlated with the level of commensalism. Contrary to expectations, the MUP copy number (CN) and protein excretion in the strains derived from M. m. castaneus, which is supposed to be the strongest commensal, were not significantly different from the non-commensal species. Regardless of an overall tendency for higher MUP amounts in taxa with a higher CN, there was no significant correlation at the strain level. Our study thus suggests that expansion of the Mup cluster, which appeared before the house mouse diversification, is unlikely to facilitate commensalism with humans in three house mouse subspecies. Finally, we found considerable variation among con(sub)specific WDSs, warning against generalisations of results based on a few strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miloš Macholán
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 601 77 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kristina Daniszová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Hiadlovská
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Real MVF, Colvin MS, Sheehan MJ, Moeller AH. Major urinary protein ( Mup) gene family deletion drives sex-specific alterations on the house mouse gut microbiota. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.01.551491. [PMID: 37577672 PMCID: PMC10418228 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.01.551491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiota is shaped by host metabolism. In house mice (Mus musculus), major urinary protein (MUP) pheromone production represents a considerable energy investment, particularly in sexually mature males. Deletion of the Mup gene family shifts mouse metabolism towards an anabolic state, marked by lipogenesis, lipid accumulation, and body mass increases. Given the metabolic implications of MUPs, they may also influence the gut microbiota. Here, we investigated the effect of deletion of the Mup gene family on the gut microbiota of sexually mature mice. Shotgun metagenomics revealed distinct taxonomic and functional profiles between wildtype and knockout males, but not females. Deletion of the Mup gene cluster significantly reduced diversity in microbial families and functions in male mice. Additionally, specific taxa of the Ruminococcaceae family, which is associated with gut health and reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome, and several microbial functions, such as transporters involved in vitamin B5 acquisition, were significantly depleted in the microbiota of Mup-knockout males. Altogether these results show that major urinary proteins significantly affect the gut microbiota of house mouse in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalena V. F. Real
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Melanie S. Colvin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Andrew H. Moeller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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5
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Zipple MN, Vogt CC, Sheehan MJ. Genetically Identical Mice Express Alternative Reproductive Tactics Depending on Social Conditions in the Field. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.25.542282. [PMID: 37577669 PMCID: PMC10418070 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.25.542282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
In many species, establishing and maintaining a territory is critical to survival and reproduction, and an animal's ability to do so is strongly influenced by the presence and density of competitors. Here we manipulate social conditions to study the alternative reproductive tactics displayed by genetically identical, age-matched laboratory mice competing for territories under ecologically realistic social environmental conditions. We introduced adult males and females of the laboratory mouse strain (C57BL/6J) into a large, outdoor field enclosure containing defendable resource zones under one of two social conditions. We first created a low-density social environment, such that the number of available territories exceeded the number of males. After males established stable territories, we introduced a pulse of intruder males and observed the resulting defensive and invasive tactics employed. In response to this change in social environment, males with large territories invested more in patrolling but were less effective at excluding intruder males as compared to males with small territories. Intruding males failed to establish territories and displayed an alternative tactic featuring greater exploration as compared to genetically identical territorial males. Alternative tactics did not lead to equal reproductive success-males that acquired territories experienced greater survival and had greater access to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew N. Zipple
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
| | - Caleb C. Vogt
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
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6
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Evans JC, Lindholm AK, König B. Family dynamics reveal that female house mice preferentially breed in their maternal community. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Whether females breed in their natal group is an important factor in the evolution of extended families in animal sociality. Breeding in natal groups comes with costs and benefits, depending on group size and presence of older relatives, including mothers. Studying the consequences of breeding in the natal versus another group provides insight into the decisions and trade-offs governing the formation and structure of family groups. We investigated the family dynamics of a population of free-ranging commensal house mice. Using dynamic community detection on long-term datasets, we determined which females first bred in their natal group. We then looked at how this influenced breeding success. We found most females (77%) exhibited strong philopatry, breeding in their natal groups. Breeding elsewhere was only somewhat predictable at very large and very small group sizes. Despite their philopatric preference, breeding elsewhere made no difference in how quickly and successfully a female bred. However, presence of their mother did lead females to breed sooner when born during high breeding activity, when competition over reproduction is high. Based on these results, potential loss of reproductive success from leaving the natal group does not seem to be the main driver of philopatry in female house mice. The effect of the presence of mothers suggests that benefiting from established social connections promotes breeding in the natal group. Mothers providing benefits also implies a lack of conflict between generations, which will be important for the development of stable social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian C Evans
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Barbara König
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Pardasani M, Marathe SD, Purnapatre MM, Dalvi U, Abraham NM. Multimodal learning of pheromone locations. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21836. [PMID: 34407246 PMCID: PMC7611819 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100167r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Memorizing pheromonal locations is critical for many mammalian species as it involves finding mates and avoiding competitors. In rodents, pheromonal information is perceived by the main and accessory olfactory systems. However, the role of somatosensation in context-dependent learning and memorizing of pheromone locations remains unexplored. We addressed this problem by training female mice on a multimodal task to locate pheromones by sampling volatiles emanating from male urine through the orifices of varying dimensions or shapes that are sensed by their vibrissae. In this novel pheromone location assay, female mice’ preference toward male urine scent decayed over time when they were permitted to explore pheromones vs neutral stimuli, water. On training them for the associations involving olfactory and whisker systems, it was established that they were able to memorize the location of opposite sex pheromones, when tested 15 days later. This memory was not formed either when the somatosensory inputs through whisker pad were blocked or when the pheromonal cues were replaced with that of same sex. The association between olfactory and somatosensory systems was further confirmed by the enhanced expression of the activity-regulated cytoskeleton protein. Furthermore, the activation of main olfactory bulb circuitry by pheromone volatiles did not cause any modulation in learning and memorizing non-pheromonal volatiles. Our study thus provides the evidence for associations formed between different sensory modalities facilitating the long-term memory formation relevant to social and reproductive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi Pardasani
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India
| | - Shruti D Marathe
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India
| | - Maitreyee Mandar Purnapatre
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India.,Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Urvashi Dalvi
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India.,Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Nixon M Abraham
- Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behaviour (LNCB), Department of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India
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8
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Whylings J, Rigney N, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A. Reduction in vasopressin cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in mice increases anxiety and alters fluid intake. Horm Behav 2021; 133:104997. [PMID: 34062279 PMCID: PMC8529700 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Central vasopressin (AVP) has been implicated in the control of multiple behaviors, including social behavior, anxiety-like behavior, and sickness behavior. The extent to which the different AVP-producing cell groups contribute to regulating these behaviors has not been extensively investigated. Here we test the role of AVP cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in these behaviors by ablating these cells using viral-mediated, Cre-dependent caspase in male and female AVP-Cre + mice and Cre-controls. We compared anxiety and social behaviors, as well as sickness behaviors (lethargy, anhedonia (indexed by sucrose consumption), and changes in anxiety-like- and social behavior) induced via injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that SCN AVP cell ablation increased anxiety-like behavior and sucrose consumption in both sexes, as well as increased urine marking by males in a non-social context, but did not alter behavioral responses to sickness. Our data suggest that SCN AVP does not strongly affect LPS-induced behavioral changes, but may contribute to anxiety-like behavior, and may play a role in ingestive reward/motivation and fluid intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Whylings
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
| | - Nicole Rigney
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Geert J de Vries
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; Department of Biology, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Aras Petrulis
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 100 Piedmont Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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9
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Gale TJ, Garratt M, Brooks RC. Female mice seek refuge from castrated males, but not intact or vasectomized males, mitigating a socially-induced glucocorticoid response. Physiol Behav 2019; 211:112678. [PMID: 31505190 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Sexual conflict may be manifested during social interactions, shaping the costs of reproduction in sexually reproducing species. This conflict, and the physical necessity of intromission, can intensify the already costly nature of reproduction for female mammals. To identify and partition the costs that males inflict on females during mating and reproduction, we paired female mice with either other females or castrated, vasectomised, or intact (sham-vasectomised) males, thus manipulating exposure to social mating behavior and costs arising from fertilization. We also provided females with refuges where males could not enter, to test whether females show avoidance or attraction to males of different gonadal status expected to exhibit different levels of social behavior. We found that females paired with vasectomised and castrated males spent the most time in their refuge. Females housed with castrated males also had increased glucocorticoid levels, an effect that was mitigated when females could retreat from these males to a refuge. This suggests that females actively refuge from castrated males, and that housing with such males is sufficient to generate an increased glucocorticoid response. Our results show that females choose to refuge from males depending on the partner's gonadal status, choices that are linked to social induced stress responses but not exposure to male mating behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teagan J Gale
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), the University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Michael Garratt
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), the University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia; Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Robert C Brooks
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), the University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
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10
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Sheehan MJ, Campbell P, Miller CH. Evolutionary patterns of major urinary protein scent signals in house mice and relatives. Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3587-3601. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Polly Campbell
- Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology University of California – Riverside Riverside CA USA
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11
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Frynta D, Kaftanová-Eliášová B, Žampachová B, Voráčková P, Sádlová J, Landová E. Behavioural strategies of three wild-derived populations of the house mouse (Mus m. musculus and M. m. domesticus) in five standard tests of exploration and boldness: Searching for differences attributable to subspecies and commensalism. Behav Processes 2018; 157:133-141. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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12
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Hill WG, Zeidel ML, Bjorling DE, Vezina CM. Void spot assay: recommendations on the use of a simple micturition assay for mice. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2018; 315:F1422-F1429. [PMID: 30156116 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00350.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigators have for decades used mouse voiding patterns as end points for studying behavioral biology. It is only recently that mouse voiding patterns were adopted for study of lower urinary tract physiology. The spontaneous void spot assay (VSA), a popular micturition assessment tool, involves placing a mouse in an enclosure lined by filter paper and quantifying the resulting urine spot pattern. The VSA has advantages of being inexpensive and noninvasive, but some investigators challenge its ability to distinguish lower urinary tract function from behavioral voiding. A consensus group of investigators who regularly use the VSA was established by the National Institutes of Health in 2015 to address the strengths and weaknesses of the assay, determine whether it can be standardized across laboratories, and determine whether it can be used as a surrogate for evaluating urinary function. Here we leverage experience from the consensus group to review the history of the VSA and its uses, summarize experiments to optimize assay design for urinary physiology assessment, and make best practice recommendations for performing the assay and analyzing its results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Hill
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mark L Zeidel
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dale E Bjorling
- Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin.,University of Wisconsin-Madison/University of Massachusetts-Boston, George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, Madison, Wisconsin and Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chad M Vezina
- University of Wisconsin-Madison/University of Massachusetts-Boston, George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, Madison, Wisconsin and Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
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13
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Wegner KA, Abler LL, Oakes SR, Mehta GS, Ritter KE, Hill WG, Zwaans BM, Lamb LE, Wang Z, Bjorling DE, Ricke WA, Macoska J, Marker PC, Southard-Smith EM, Eliceiri KW, Vezina CM. Void spot assay procedural optimization and software for rapid and objective quantification of rodent voiding function, including overlapping urine spots. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2018; 315:F1067-F1080. [PMID: 29972322 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00245.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse urinary behavior is quantifiable and is used to pinpoint mechanisms of voiding dysfunction and evaluate potential human therapies. Approaches to evaluate mouse urinary function vary widely among laboratories, however, complicating cross-study comparisons. Here, we describe development and multi-institutional validation of a new tool for objective, consistent, and rapid analysis of mouse void spot assay (VSA) data. Void Whizzard is a freely available software plugin for FIJI (a distribution of ImageJ) that facilitates VSA image batch processing and data extraction. We describe its features, demonstrate them by evaluating how specific VSA method parameters influence voiding behavior, and establish Void Whizzard as an expedited method for VSA analysis. This study includes control and obese diabetic mice as models of urinary dysfunction to increase rigor and ensure relevance across distinct voiding patterns. In particular, we show that Void Whizzard is an effective tool for quantifying nonconcentric overlapping void spots, which commonly confound analyses. We also show that mouse genetics are consistently more influential than assay design parameters when it comes to VSA outcomes. None of the following procedural modifications to reduce overlapping spots masked these genetic-related differences: reduction of VSA testing duration, water access during the assay period, placement of a wire mesh cage bottom on top of or elevated over the filter paper, treatment of mesh with a hydrophobic spray, and size of wire mesh opening. The Void Whizzard software and rigorous validation of VSA methodological parameters described here advance the goal of standardizing mouse urinary phenotyping for comprehensive urinary phenome analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A Wegner
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Lisa L Abler
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Steven R Oakes
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Guneet S Mehta
- Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - K Elaine Ritter
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Warren G Hill
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bernadette M Zwaans
- Department of Urology, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Michigan.,Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Laura E Lamb
- Department of Urology, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Michigan.,Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Auburn Hills, Michigan
| | - Zunyi Wang
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Auburn Hills, Michigan
| | - Dale E Bjorling
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - William A Ricke
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Jill Macoska
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Paul C Marker
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - E Michelle Southard-Smith
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Kevin W Eliceiri
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Chad M Vezina
- George M. O'Brien Center for Benign Urologic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin
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14
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McNamara GI, John RM, Isles AR. Territorial Behavior and Social Stability in the Mouse Require Correct Expression of Imprinted Cdkn1c. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:28. [PMID: 29535616 PMCID: PMC5834910 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting, the epigenetic process by which transcription occurs from a single parental allele, is believed to influence social behaviors in mammals. An important social behavior is group living, which is enriched in Eutherian mammals relative to monotremes and marsupials. Group living facilitates resource acquisition, defense of territory and co-care of young, but requires a stable social group with complex inter-individual relationships. Co-occurring with increased group living in Eutherians is an increase in the number of imprinted loci, including that spanning the maternally expressed Cdkn1c. Using a 'loss-of-imprinting' model of Cdkn1c (Cdkn1cBACx1), we demonstrated that twofold over expression of Cdkn1c results in abnormal social behaviors. Although, our previous work indicated that male Cdkn1cBACx1 mice were more dominant as measured by tube test encounters with unfamiliar wild-type (WT) males. Building upon this work, using more ecologically relevant assessments of social dominance, indicated that within their normal social group, Cdkn1cBACx1 mice did not occupy higher ranking positions. Nevertheless, we find that presence of Cdkn1cBACx1 animals within a group leads to instability of the normal social hierarchy, as indicated by greater variability in social rank within the group over time and an increase in territorial behavior in WT cage-mates. Consequently, these abnormal behaviors led to an increased incidence of fighting and wounding within the group. Taken together these data indicate that normal expression of Cdkn1c is required for maintaining stability of the social group and suggests that the acquisition of monoallelic expression of Cdkn1c may have enhanced social behavior in Eutherian mammals to facilitate group living.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gráinne I. McNamara
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Rosalind M. John
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony R. Isles
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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15
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Abstract
Olfaction is a fundamental sense in most animal species. In mammals, the olfactory system comprises several subpopulations of sensory neurons located throughout the nasal cavity, which detect a variety of chemostimuli, including odorants, intraspecies and interspecies chemical communication cues. Some of these compounds are important for regulating innate and learned behaviors, and endocrine changes in response to other animals in the environment. With a particular focus on laboratory rodent species, this chapter provides a comprehensive description of the most important behavioral assays used for studying the olfactory system, and is meant to be a practical guide for those who study olfaction-mediated behaviors or who have an interest in deciphering the molecular, cellular, or neural mechanisms through which the sense of smell controls the generation of adaptive behavioral outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Papes
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
| | - Thiago S Nakahara
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Antonio P Camargo
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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16
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Guo HL, Teng HJ, Zhang JH, Zhang JX, Zhang YH. Asian house rats may facilitate their invasive success through suppressing brown rats in chronic interaction. Front Zool 2017; 14:20. [PMID: 28413431 PMCID: PMC5389004 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-017-0202-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Asian house rat (Rattus tanezumi) and the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) are closely related species and are partially sympatric in southern China. Over the past 20 years, R. tanezumi has significantly expanded northward in China and partially replaced the native brown rat subspecies, R. n. humiliatus. Although invasive species are often more aggressive than native species, we did not observe interspecific physical aggression between R. tanezumi and R. n. humiliatus. Here, we focused on whether or not R. tanezumi was superior to R. n. humiliatus in terms of nonphysical competition, which is primarily mediated by chemical signals. RESULTS We performed two laboratory experiments to test different paradigms in domesticated R. tanezumi and R. n. humiliatus. In Experiment 1, we caged adult male rats of each species for 2 months in heterospecific or conspecific pairs, partitioned by perforated galvanized iron sheets, allowing exchange of chemical stimuli and ultrasonic vocalization. The sexual attractiveness of male urine odor showed a tendency (marginal significance) to increase in R. tanezumi caged with R. n. humiliatus, compared with those in conspecific pairs. Hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and brain-derived nutrition factor (BDNF) mRNA were upregulated in R. n. humiliatus and R. tanezumi, respectively, when the rats were caged in heterospecific pairs. In Experiment 2, we kept juvenile male rats in individual cages in rooms with either the same or the different species for 2 months, allowing chemical interaction. The sexual attractiveness of male urine was significantly enhanced in R. tanezumi, but reduced in R. n. humiliatus by heterospecific cues and mRNA expression of hippocampal GR and BDNF were upregulated by heterospecific cues in R. n. humiliatus and R. tanezumi, respectively. Although not identical, the results from Experiments 1 and 2 were generally consistent. CONCLUSIONS The results of both experiments indicate that nonphysical/chronic interspecific stimuli, particularly scent signals, between R. n. humiliatus and R. tanezumi may negatively affect R. n. humiliatus and positively affect R. tanezumi. We infer that chronic interspecific interactions may have contributed to the invasion of R. tanezumi into the range of R. n. humiliatus in natural habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Ling Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Hua-Jing Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Jin-Hua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Jian-Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Yao-Hua Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.1-5 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101 China
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17
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Selection on Coding and Regulatory Variation Maintains Individuality in Major Urinary Protein Scent Marks in Wild Mice. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005891. [PMID: 26938775 PMCID: PMC4777540 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognition of individuals by scent is widespread across animal taxa. Though animals can often discriminate chemical blends based on many compounds, recent work shows that specific protein pheromones are necessary and sufficient for individual recognition via scent marks in mice. The genetic nature of individuality in scent marks (e.g. coding versus regulatory variation) and the evolutionary processes that maintain diversity are poorly understood. The individual signatures in scent marks of house mice are the protein products of a group of highly similar paralogs in the major urinary protein (Mup) gene family. Using the offspring of wild-caught mice, we examine individuality in the major urinary protein (MUP) scent marks at the DNA, RNA and protein levels. We show that individuality arises through a combination of variation at amino acid coding sites and differential transcription of central Mup genes across individuals, and we identify eSNPs in promoters. There is no evidence of post-transcriptional processes influencing phenotypic diversity as transcripts accurately predict the relative abundance of proteins in urine samples. The match between transcripts and urine samples taken six months earlier also emphasizes that the proportional relationships across central MUP isoforms in urine is stable. Balancing selection maintains coding variants at moderate frequencies, though pheromone diversity appears limited by interactions with vomeronasal receptors. We find that differential transcription of the central Mup paralogs within and between individuals significantly increases the individuality of pheromone blends. Balancing selection on gene regulation allows for increased individuality via combinatorial diversity in a limited number of pheromones. Individual recognition via scent is critical for many aspects of behavior including parental care, competition, cooperation and mate choice. While animal scents can differ in a huge number of dimensions, recent work has shown that only some specialized semiochemicals in scent marks are behaviorally relevant for individual recognition. How is individuality in specialized semiochemical blends produced and maintained in populations? At the extremes, individuality may depend on either a plethora of semiochemical isoforms or on combinatorial variation in a small number of shared isoforms across individuals. Analyzing the major urinary protein (MUP) pheromone blends of a wild population of house mice, we find evidence in favor of a combinatorial diversity model for the production and maintenance of individuality. Balancing selection maintains MUP proteins at moderate frequencies in the population, though interactions with the pheromone receptors appear to limit the extent of pheromone diversity in the system. By contrast, differential transcription of proteins greatly increases individuality in pheromone blends with balancing selection maintaining diversity in promoter regions associated with gene expression patterns. Selection maintaining combinatorial diversity in a limited set of behaviorally important semiochemicals may be a widespread mechanism generating and maintaining individuality in scent across taxa.
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18
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Hughes NK, Banks PB. Olfactory contacts mediate plasticity in male aggression with variable male density. J Mammal 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Males typically adjust their reproductive strategies based on the perceived density and relative abilities of nearby competitors. In high-density populations, repeated encounters facilitate reliable, learned associations between individuals and their relative competitive abilities. In contrast, opportunities to form such associations are limited when densities are low or in flux, increasing the risk that individuals will unintentionally engage in potentially costly interactions with higher-quality or aggressive opponents. To maximize their fitness, individuals in low-density and fluctuating populations therefore need a general way to assess their current social environment, and thus their relative competitive ability. Here, we investigate how olfactory social signals (scent marks) might perform this function. We manipulated the perceived social environment of isolated, male house mice ( Mus domesticus ) via their periodic contact with scent marks from 3 or 9 male conspecifics, or a control of no scents, over 15 days. We then paired them with an unknown opponent and examined how the diversity of recent scent contact mediated their behavior towards dominant or subordinate opponents. There was an overall pattern for increasing scent diversity to significantly reduce male mice’s aggression (tail rattling and lunging) towards their opponents, and also their willingness to engage in reciprocal investigation. Such cautiousness was not indicative of perceived subordinance, however; the diversity of recent scent contact did not affect mice’s investigation of their opponent’s scents, and some measures of aggression were greater when mice faced dominant opponents. These results suggest that house mice can use scent signals to assess their current social environment in the absence of physical interactions, modifying their behavior in ways that are predicted to reduce their risks of injury when the likelihood of encountering unknown opponents increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelika K. Hughes
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052 , Australia (NKH, PBB)
| | - Peter B. Banks
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052 , Australia (NKH, PBB)
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19
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Hiadlovská Z, Mikula O, Macholán M, Hamplová P, Vošlajerová Bímová B, Daniszová K. Shaking the myth: Body mass, aggression, steroid hormones, and social dominance in wild house mouse. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2015; 223:16-26. [PMID: 26433061 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Revised: 09/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In social mammals, the position of a male in the group's hierarchy strongly affects his reproductive success. Since a high social rank is often gained through competition with other males, selection should favour bigger males over smaller ones. We may therefore predict faster growth and/or delayed sexual maturity in dominant males. Likewise, dominants should have higher levels of testosterone, hormone important in many aspects of male dominance. Less obvious is the relationship between dominance and levels of corticosterone but generally higher concentrations are expected in subordinate individuals. We studied body growth, sexual maturation and endocrinal changes in males of two house mouse subspecies, raised in fraternal pairs. Since Mus musculus domesticus is the subspecies which dominates mutual encounters with Mus musculus musculus we predicted higher growth rate, delayed puberty and aggression, and higher testosterone and corticosterone levels in domesticus males compared to musculus. In all comparisons, no differences were found between dominant and subordinate musculus brothers. On the other hand, in M. m. domesticus, dominant males revealed a different growth trajectory and lower corticosterone levels than subordinate males but not delayed puberty and higher testosterone concentrations, thus contradicting our predictions. In inter-subspecific comparisons, musculus males matured earlier but became aggressive at the same time as domesticus males. The musculus testosterone ontogeny suggests that social positions in this subspecies remain unfixed for an extended period and that the increasing levels probably reflect prolonged hierarchy contests. It appears that the ontogeny of behaviour and physiological traits diverge cryptically between the two subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Hiadlovská
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Veveří 97, CZ-602 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - O Mikula
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Veveří 97, CZ-602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - M Macholán
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Veveří 97, CZ-602 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - P Hamplová
- Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - B Vošlajerová Bímová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Veveří 97, CZ-602 00 Brno, Czech Republic; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, ASCR, Květná 8, CZ-603 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - K Daniszová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, ASCR, Květná 8, CZ-603 65 Brno, Czech Republic; Biodiversity Research Group, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 13 Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Prague, Czech Republic
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21
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Martín-Sánchez A, McLean L, Beynon RJ, Hurst JL, Ayala G, Lanuza E, Martínez-Garcia F. From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: when pheromones change their behavioural significance. Horm Behav 2015; 68:65-76. [PMID: 25161057 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". This paper reviews the role of chemosignals in the socio-sexual interactions of female mice, and reports two experiments testing the role of pup-derived chemosignals and the male sexual pheromone darcin in inducing and promoting maternal aggression. Female mice are attracted to urine-borne male pheromones. Volatile and non-volatile urine fractions have been proposed to contain olfactory and vomeronasal pheromones. In particular, the male-specific major urinary protein (MUP) MUP20, darcin, has been shown to be rewarding and attractive to females. Non-urinary male chemosignals, such as the lacrimal protein ESP1, promote lordosis in female mice, but its attractive properties are still to be tested. There is evidence indicating that ESP1 and MUPs are detected by vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2R). When a female mouse becomes pregnant, she undergoes dramatic changes in her physiology and behaviour. She builds a nest for her pups and takes care of them. Dams also defend the nest against conspecific intruders, attacking especially gonadally intact males. Maternal behaviour is dependent on a functional olfactory system, thus suggesting a role of chemosignals in the development of maternal behaviour. Our first experiment demonstrates, however, that pup chemosignals are not sufficient to induce maternal aggression in virgin females. In addition, it is known that vomeronasal stimuli are needed for maternal aggression. Since MUPs (and other molecules) are able to promote intermale aggression, in our second experiment we test if the attractive MUP darcin also promotes attacks on castrated male intruders by lactating dams. Our findings demonstrate that the same chemosignal, darcin, promotes attraction or aggression according to female reproductive state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Martín-Sánchez
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Lynn McLean
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Robert J Beynon
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jane L Hurst
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Guillermo Ayala
- Department of Statistics and Operative Research, Faculty of Mathematics, Avda. Vicent Andrés Estellés, 1, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-Garcia
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departments of Functional Biology and of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Univ. Valencia, C. Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjassot, Spain.
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22
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deCatanzaro D. Sex steroids as pheromones in mammals: the exceptional role of estradiol. Horm Behav 2015; 68:103-16. [PMID: 25125222 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue (Chemosignals and Reproduction). Whether from endogenous or exogenous sources, 17β-estradiol (E2) has very powerful influences over mammalian female reproductive physiology and behavior. Given its highly lipophilic nature and low molecular mass, E2 readily enters excretions and can be absorbed from exogenous sources via nasal, cutaneous, and other modes of exposure. Indeed, systemic injection of tritiated estradiol ((3)H-E2) into a male mouse or bat has been shown to produce significant levels of radioactivity in the reproductive tissues and brain of cohabiting female conspecifics. Bioactive E2 and other steroids are naturally found in male mouse urine and other excretions, and males actively direct their urine at proximate females. Very low doses of E2 can mimic the Bruce effect (disruption of peri-implantation pregnancy by novel males), the Vandenbergh effect (early reproductive maturation induced by novel males), and male-induced estrus and ovulation. Males' capacities to induce the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects can both be diminished by manipulations that reduce their urinary E2. Uterine dynamics during the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects are consistent with the actions of E2. Collectively, these data demonstrate a critical role of male-sourced E2 in these major mammalian pheromonal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denys deCatanzaro
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
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23
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Temporal behaviour profiles of Mus musculus in nature are affected by population activity. Physiol Behav 2014; 139:351-60. [PMID: 25446229 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2014] [Revised: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Animals have circadian clocks that govern their activity pattern, resulting in 24h rhythms in physiology and behaviour. Under laboratory conditions, light is the major external signal that affects temporal patterns in behaviour, and Mus musculus is strictly nocturnal in its behaviour. In the present study we questioned whether under natural conditions, environmental factors other than light affect the temporal profile of mice. In order to test this, we investigated the activity patterns of free-ranging M. musculus in a natural habitat, using sensors and a camera integrated into a recording unit that the mice could freely enter and leave. Our data show that mice have seasonal fluctuations in activity duration (6.7±0.82 h in summer, 11.3±1.80 h in winter). Furthermore, although primarily nocturnal, wild mice also exhibit daytime activity from spring until late autumn. A multivariate analysis revealed that the major factor correlating with increased daytime activity was population activity, defined as the number of visits to the recording site. Day length had a small but significant effect. Further analysis revealed that the relative population activity (compared to the past couple of days) is a better predictor of daytime activity than absolute population activity. Light intensity and temperature did not have a significant effect on daytime activity. The amount of variance explained by external factors is 51.9%, leaving surprisingly little unexplained variance that might be attributed to the internal clock. Our data further indicate that mice determine population activity by comparing a given night with the preceding 2-7 nights, a time frame suggesting a role for olfactory cues. We conclude that relative population activity is a major factor controlling the temporal activity patterns of M. musculus in an unrestricted natural population.
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Costello A, Greiner E, Meikle D. Investigation of female house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) by males in relation to the presence and absence of anogenital odors from dominant or subordinate males. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2014.953598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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25
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Jirkof P, Cesarovic N, Rettich A, Arras M. Housing of female mice in a new environment and its influence on post-surgical behaviour and recovery. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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26
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Shapira I, Brunton D, Shanas U, Raubenheimer D. Conspecific attraction in invasive wild house mice: Effects of strain, sex and diet. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2013.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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27
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Urine marking in male common voles: does behavioural activity matter? Behav Processes 2012; 90:174-9. [PMID: 22285890 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2011] [Revised: 01/07/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rodent urine provides animals with a large amount of information, from the identity of the animal through its physical condition to social status. Many studies therefore focus on rodent urine-marking behaviour and use marking frequency as an indicator of social status or competitive ability. However, marking, like many other aspects of rodent behaviour, may be affected by individual behavioural activity, a factor that has not been examined so far. We therefore studied a relationship between male urine-marking in reaction to another male's marks (standard opponent) and individual personality profile, characterised by behavioural activity in an open field test (OFT). The marking appeared to be consistent and specific for particular individuals as there was a significant positive relationship between individual markings in two different phases of the experiment. The linkage between behavioural activity in the OFT and urine-marking frequency was non-linear (quadratic), which suggested that males with intermediate activity marked more intensively than males from the extremes of the behavioural spectra. The relationship between the opponent's and the tested males' markings was positive, however, we found no statistically significant evidence that the voles would attempt to overmark the opponent. Marking thus seems to have more of a self-advertising than a competitive function in the common vole. Further, as high marking activity is under strong intra- or intersexual selection, the result might suggest a stabilising selection of the personality trait described as behavioural activity in our study.
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28
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Garratt M, Vasilaki A, Stockley P, McArdle F, Jackson M, Hurst JL. Is oxidative stress a physiological cost of reproduction? An experimental test in house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:1098-106. [PMID: 20926440 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Investment in reproduction is costly and frequently decreases survival or future reproductive success. However, the proximate underlying causes for this are largely unknown. Oxidative stress has been suggested as a cost of reproduction and several studies have demonstrated changes in antioxidants with reproductive investment. Here, we test whether oxidative stress is a consequence of reproduction in female house mice (Mus musculus domesticus), which have extremely high energetic demands during reproduction, particularly through lactation. Assessing oxidative damage after a long period of reproductive investment, there was no evidence of increased oxidative stress, even when females were required to defend their breeding territory. Instead, in the liver, markers of oxidative damage (malonaldehyde, protein thiols and the proportion of glutathione in the oxidized form) indicated lower oxidative stress in reproducing females when compared with non-reproductive controls. Even during peak lactation, none of the markers of oxidative damage indicated higher oxidative stress than among non-reproductive females, although a positive correlation between protein oxidation and litter mass suggested that oxidative stress may increase with fecundity. Our results indicate that changes in redox status occur during reproduction in house mice, but suggest that females use mechanisms to cope with the consequences of increased energetic demands and limit oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Garratt
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
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29
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Hughes NK, Banks PB. Interacting effects of predation risk and signal patchiness on activity and communication in house mice. J Anim Ecol 2009; 79:88-97. [PMID: 19941627 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01630.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
1. Social signalling can be risky when signals are open to exploitation by eavesdropping predators. Unlike other signal modalities, olfactory signals cannot be 'switched off' in the presence of an eavesdropping predator, leaving receivers of scent signals at an increased risk of predation long after the signaller has moved on. Yet individuals of some olfactorily communicating species appear unwilling to forego the receiving of signals under an increased risk of predation. Foraging theory predicts that predation risk can operate at multiple spatial scales, however, such that prey behaviour should be sensitive to the broader olfactory environment beyond the risks of a single point source of odour. 2. Here, we use the house mouse Mus domesticus to test whether the spatial distribution and overall level of receiving activity varies with the spatial distribution of conspecific scent signals and the risks posed by an eavesdropping predator, the cat Felis catus. We assessed the mice's responses to these risks using overall visitation, activity and scent marking rates at conspecific scented locations (in clumped, random or regular distributions) and the surrounding matrix (non-scented) locations with and without a predator cue (cat urine). We then used univariate and bivariate spatial point pattern analyses to assess behavioural responses (activity) to both treatments across a range of spatial scales. 3. Visitation, activity and scent marking rates were not affected by the predator cue or the spatial distribution of scents. But these non-significant results masked a fine scale anti-predatory response. Mouse activity was significantly more clustered at small scales when in the presence of the predator cue; this response held across all spatial distribution treatments. Mice were also sensitive to the predation risks of clumped scents, and dispersed their activity at intermediate scales significantly more when exposed to the predator cue, than in the control scent treatment. 4. These results suggest that olfactorily communicating species use scale-sensitive anti-predatory behavioural changes to compensate for their increased risks of predation when receiving scent signals. We highlight the importance of examining a variety of scales when investigating predator-prey interactions, and discuss the implications of these findings for behaviourally responsive predators and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelika K Hughes
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
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Ramm SA, Stockley P. Adaptive plasticity of mammalian sperm production in response to social experience. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:745-51. [PMID: 18986975 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition theory predicts that males should invest prudently in ejaculates according to levels of female promiscuity. Males may therefore be sensitive to cues in their social environment associated with sexual competition, and tailor investment in sperm production accordingly. We tested this idea experimentally for the first time, to our knowledge, in a mammal by comparing reproductive traits of male house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) that had experienced contrasting encounter regimes with potential sexual competitors. We found that daily sperm production and numbers of sperm in the caput epididymis were significantly higher in subjects that had experienced a high encounter rate of social cues from three other males compared to those that had experienced a low encounter rate of social cues from just one other male. Epididymal sperm counts were negatively correlated with the frequency of scent-marking behaviour across all males in our study, suggesting that investment in ejaculate production may be traded off against traits that function in gaining copulations, although there was no difference in overall levels of scent marking between treatment groups. We conclude that social experience-mediated phenotypic plasticity in mammalian spermatogenesis is likely to be adaptive under sperm competition, enabling males to balance the energetic costs and paternity-enhancing benefits of ejaculate production, and is a potentially widespread explanation for intraspecific variation in ejaculate expenditure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Ramm
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK.
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Hughes NK, Kelley JL, Banks PB. Receiving behaviour is sensitive to risks from eavesdropping predators. Oecologia 2009; 160:609-17. [PMID: 19363623 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-009-1320-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2008] [Accepted: 02/19/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Conspicuous signals may attract both intended receivers as well as unintended receivers such as predators. However, signalling individuals are not the only ones at risk when communicating, as the intended receiver may encounter eavesdropping predators that are attracted to the same signals. Here, we show that the house mouse (Mus domesticus) behaviourally responds to social signals (scents) as though receiving carries a risk of predation. We presented mice with their own scents (low social benefit to receiving) and those from an unknown "intruder" (high social benefit to receiving) under high (cat urine added) and low (water added) perceived predation risk. Mice traded-off the potential social benefits of receiving a signal against the costs of potential predator encounter. Receiving rates of both social signals (own and intruder) were high under low predation risk. Mice reduced receiving of both social signals when predation risk was increased; however, the effect was greater for their own low value scent than for the high social value intruder scent. Notably, rates of signalling did not vary with the level of perceived predation risk. Our findings suggest that mice traded-off the potential social benefits of receiving a signal (scent mark) against the costs of potential predator encounter. We suggest that, for some species, the costs of communication are borne more by the receivers than the signallers, and that the influence of risks to receivers on the design of communication systems may have been underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelika K Hughes
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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deCatanzaro D, Khan A, Berger RG, Lewis E. Exposure to developing females induces polyuria, polydipsia, and altered urinary levels of creatinine, 17beta-estradiol, and testosterone in adult male mice (Mus musculus). Horm Behav 2009; 55:240-7. [PMID: 19027019 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2008] [Revised: 10/23/2008] [Accepted: 10/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Novel male mice can accelerate reproductive maturation in proximal developing females, an effect mediated by the chemistry of the males' urine. Exogenous estrogens can similarly accelerate female sexual development. In Experiment 1, adult male mice were housed across wire grid from either empty compartments or those containing post-weanling females. Proximity of females caused males to urinate more, progressively over days of exposure, with most urination directed towards females' compartments. Male urine collected after 5 days in these conditions was analyzed by enzyme immunoassay for 17beta-estradiol, testosterone, and creatinine. Urinary creatinine of isolated males significantly exceeded that of female-exposed males. Unadjusted urinary steroids also trended toward higher levels in isolates, but creatinine-adjusted estradiol and testosterone of female-exposed males significantly exceeded that of isolated males. In Experiment 2, measurement of water consumption indicated significantly greater drinking by female-exposed as opposed to isolated males. In Experiment 3, males were housed in isolation or beside post-weanling intact (sham-operated) females, ovariectomized females, or intact (sham-operated) males. Male water consumption was elevated in all conditions involving social contact. Urinary creatinine was significantly lower in female-exposed males compared to isolated controls, while unadjusted testosterone was significantly lower in males in all social conditions. Again, creatinine-adjusted estradiol in female-exposed males significantly exceeded that of isolates. These data indicate that adult males drink and urinate more, have more dilute urine, and have a higher ratio of estradiol to creatinine when they are near developing females. These dynamics increase females' exposure to urinary steroids and other urinary constituents that can hasten sexual maturity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denys deCatanzaro
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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Scent marking behavior as an odorant communication in mice. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2008; 32:1236-48. [PMID: 18565582 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2008] [Revised: 05/06/2008] [Accepted: 05/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, where chemical signals play a particularly important role in determining intraspecies interactions including social dominance and intersexual relationships, various studies have shown that behavior is sensitive to conspecific odor cues. Mice use urinary scent marks for communication with individual conspecifics in many social contexts. Urinary scent involves genetic information about individuals such as species, sex, and individual identity as well as metabolic information such as social dominance, and reproductive and health status, which are mediated by chemical proteins in scent marks including the major histocompatibility complex and the major urinary proteins. The odor of the predator which can be considered to be a threatening signal for the prey also modulate mouse behavior in which scent marking is suppressed in response to the cat odor exposure in mice. These odorant chemicals are detected and recognized through two olfactory bulbs, the role of which in detection of chemosignals with biological relevant appears to be differential, but partly overlapped. Mice deposit scent marks toward conspecifics to maintain their social relationships, and inhibit scent marking in a context where natural predator, cat odor is contained. This suppression of scent marking is long-lasting (for at least 7 days) and context-dependent, while the odorant signaling to conspecifics tends to appear frequently (over 24h but less than 7 days intervals) depending on the familiarity of each signal-recipient. It has been discussed that scent marking is a communicative behavior associated with territoriality toward conspecifics, indicating that the social signaling within species are sensitive to predator odor cues in terms of vulnerability to predation risk.
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Johnston RE. Chapter 9 Individual Odors and Social Communication. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3454(08)00009-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Shimozuru M, Kikusui T, Takeuchi Y, Mori Y. Discrimination of individuals by odor in male Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus. Zoolog Sci 2007; 24:427-33. [PMID: 17867841 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.24.427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2006] [Accepted: 12/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The ability to discriminate among individuals plays a fundamental role in the establishment of social relationships in animals. We examined how Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) discriminate among individuals using odor. In the first experiment, the ability of male gerbils to discriminate among five odor sources from different individuals was investigated using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm. After male gerbils had been habituated to a scent from one individual, they were exposed to familiar and unfamiliar scents from different donors simultaneously. Where urine and ventral gland secretions were used, the subjects spent more time investigating novel odors than familiar ones, suggesting that they were able to discriminate individual differences in these odor sources. However, with the scents of feces and saliva, they could detect, but could not discriminate individual differences; with scent from inside the pinnae, they could not even detect. In the second experiment, we tested whether cross-habituation occurred between the scents of urine and ventral gland secretions. A male was exposed repeatedly to urine from one of two familiar donor males during four habituation trials, and was then exposed to the ventral gland secretions from two donors simultaneously. The subject males spent more time investigating scents of ventral gland secretions, but there was no difference in the investigation time between ventral gland scents from the two donors. These results suggest that male gerbils discriminate among individuals using odors from urine and ventral gland secretions and that cross-habituation may not occur between these scents during social-memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michito Shimozuru
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Robertson DHL, Hurst JL, Searle JB, Gündüz I, Beynon RJ. Characterization and comparison of major urinary proteins from the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, and the aboriginal mouse, Mus macedonicus. J Chem Ecol 2007; 33:613-30. [PMID: 17268823 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-006-9247-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2006] [Accepted: 12/18/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Urine from the house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, contains a high concentration of major urinary proteins (MUPs), which convey olfactory information between conspecifics. In wild populations, each individual expresses a different pattern of around 8 to 14 electrophoretically separable MUP isoforms. To examine whether other Mus species express MUPs and exhibit a similar level of individual heterogeneity, we characterized urinary proteins in urine samples from an aboriginal species, Mus macedonicus, captured from different sites in Turkey. Anion exchange chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry demonstrated that M. macedonicus urine contained a single major peak of mass 18,742 Da, and in contrast to M. m. domesticus, all individuals were the same. The M. macedonicus masses were not predicted from any known MUP gene sequence. Endoproteinase Lys-C (Lys-C) digestion of the purified M. macedonicus urinary protein followed by matrix assisted laser desorption time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry demonstrated that it shared considerable, but not complete, sequence homogeneity with M. m. domesticus MUPs. Three M. macedonicus Lys-C peptides differed in mass from their M. m. domesticus counterparts. These three peptides were further characterized by tandem mass spectrometry. The complete sequences of two were determined, and in conjunction with methyl esterification, the amino acid composition of the third was inferred, and the sequence narrowed down to three permutations. The complete M. macedonicus sequence contained a maximum of seven amino acid substitutions, discernible by tandem mass spectrometry, relative to a reference M. m. domesticus sequence. Six of these were on the surface of the molecule. Molecular modeling of the M. macedonicus sequence demonstrated that the amino acid substitutions had little effect on the tertiary structure. The differences in the level of heterogeneity between the two species are discussed in relation to their environment and behavior. In addition, the differences in protein structure allow speculation into molecular mechanisms of MUP function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan H L Robertson
- Protein Function Group, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK.
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Lacey JC, Beynon RJ, Hurst JL. The importance of exposure to other male scents in determining competitive behaviour among inbred male mice. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Eidson LN, Maras PM, Epperson E, Petrulis A. Female hamster preference for odors is not regulated by circulating gonadal hormones. Physiol Behav 2007; 91:134-41. [PMID: 17374544 PMCID: PMC2682532 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2006] [Revised: 12/22/2006] [Accepted: 01/31/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Proceptive and receptive behaviors of female rodents, such as golden hamsters, are often regulated by changes in circulating levels of ovarian hormones. However, less is known about how ovarian hormones might regulate female hamster's attraction and preference for volatile odor from males. To evaluate this, we assessed female preference by recording investigation and proximity to male and female volatile odorants in a Y-maze across all days of the estrous cycle (Experiments 1 and 2) or following ovariectomy (Experiment 3). In Experiment 1, female subjects were tested four times, once on each day of their estrous cycle. Females showed a preference for male odors on diestrus day 1 and to a lesser degree on proestrus, but showed no preference on the day of behavioral estrus. Irrespective of cycle day, preference was apparent in the first few days of testing and disappeared by the fourth day, suggesting that repeated testing attenuated female preference. To avoid this problem, in Experiment 2 each animal was tested only on one day of the 4-day estrous cycle. Female preference for male volatile odors over those from females was observed on each day of their estrous cycle, including estrus. Moreover, following gonadectomy (Experiment 3) female hamsters still preferred male volatile odors to those of females. Taken together, this suggests that circulating levels of gonadal hormones do not influence preference for male volatile odors in female hamsters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori N Eidson
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
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Shimozuru M, Kikusui T, Takeuchi Y, Mori Y. Scent-marking and sexual activity may reflect social hierarchy among group-living male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Physiol Behav 2006; 89:644-9. [PMID: 16959280 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2006] [Revised: 07/04/2006] [Accepted: 08/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Social hierarchy plays an important role in the lives of gregarious species. We investigated how social hierarchy between male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) housed together before sexual maturity affected their scent-marking behavior, endocrine status and physical traits as adults. The social rank between paired males was assessed based on sexual activity in adulthood at 18 and 20 weeks of age. In most cases, the male that showed higher sexual activity at 18 weeks also exhibited greater sexual performance at 20 weeks, suggesting a precedence relationship between paired males regarding reproductive opportunity. Sexually active males scent-marked more often than their cage mate, particularly after a sexual experience. No significant differences in physical traits (e.g., the weight of the ventral gland, testes and adrenal glands) or endocrine status (e.g., fecal testosterone and corticosterone levels) were found between the two males. These findings suggest that social rank between familiar males formed during cohabitation, and rank was closely correlated with scent-marking activity, but not with endocrine status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michito Shimozuru
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Fitchett AE, Barnard CJ, Cassaday HJ. There's no place like home: cage odours and place preference in subordinate CD-1 male mice. Physiol Behav 2006; 87:955-62. [PMID: 16580031 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2005] [Revised: 02/20/2006] [Accepted: 02/23/2006] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies using mice have shown that scent marks are an important source of information and can cause behavioural changes in other individuals. Studies have also shown that scent marks in the environment can affect the outcome of social interactions between mice. We used conditioned place preference tests to investigate whether CD-1 male mice (Mus musculus) are reinforced by olfactory cues from the home cage. Soiled bedding from the home cage was presented in the initially less preferred chamber of the apparatus to determine whether this association would reduce the unconditioned preference for one chamber over the other. We tested the effects of social rank and housing condition by comparing the performance of dyads that were polarised into dominant and subordinate relationships, both when paired and when separated, with mice that were isolated throughout. The development of conditioned place preference (CPP) supported by home cage odours was influenced by social rank but not by housing condition. Only subordinate mice showed CPP to home cage odours, and this effect was seen irrespective of whether they were housed with a dominant cage mate or alone. Neither dominant (paired or separated) nor isolated mice showed any change in their preference for the chamber associated with home cage odours. This suggests that the smell of home is a more powerful reinforcer for subordinate mice in that it can produce contextual conditioning to the environment in which it is experienced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Fitchett
- School of Biology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
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43
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Pastro LA, Banks PB. Foraging responses of wild house mice to accumulations of conspecific odor as a predation risk. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2006. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-005-0146-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Frynta D, Slábová M, Váchová H, Volfová R, Munclinger P. Aggression and commensalism in house mouse: a comparative study across Europe and the near east. Aggress Behav 2005. [DOI: 10.1002/ab.15555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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GANEM GUILA, GINANE CÉCILE, OSTROWSKI MARIEFRANCE, ORTH ANNIE. Assessment of mate preference in the house mouse with reference to investigations on assortative mating. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00447.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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46
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Zuri I, Dombrowski K, Halpern M. Skin and gland but not urine odours elicit conspicuous investigation by female grey short-tailed opossums, Monodelphis domestica. Anim Behav 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Abstract
Many mammals use scent marks to advertise territory ownership, but only recently have we started to understand the complexity of these scent signals and the types of information that they convey. Whilst attention has generally focused on volatile odorants as the main information molecules in scents, studies of the house mouse have now defined a role for a family of proteins termed major urinary proteins (MUPs) which are, of course, involatile. MUPs bind male signalling volatiles and control their release from scent marks. These proteins are also highly polymorphic and the pattern of polymorphic variants provides a stable ownership signal that communicates genome-derived information on the individual identity of the scent owner. Here we review the interaction between the chemical basis of mouse scents and the dynamics of their competitive scent marking behaviour, demonstrating how it is possible to provide reliable signals of the competitive ability and identity of individual males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane L Hurst
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston CH64 7TE.
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48
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Latham N, Mason G. From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2004. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2004.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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49
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Johnston RE. CHEMICAL COMMUNICATION IN RODENTS: FROM PHEROMONES TO INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION. J Mammal 2003. [DOI: 10.1644/ble-010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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50
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Jensen SP, Gray SJ, Hurst JL. How does habitat structure affect activity and use of space among house mice? Anim Behav 2003. [DOI: 10.1006/anbe.2003.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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