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Perrodin C, Verzat C, Bendor D. Courtship behaviour reveals temporal regularity is a critical social cue in mouse communication. eLife 2023; 12:RP86464. [PMID: 38149925 PMCID: PMC10752583 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86464] [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] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
While animals navigating the real world face a barrage of sensory input, their brains evolved to perceptually compress multidimensional information by selectively extracting the features relevant for survival. Notably, communication signals supporting social interactions in several mammalian species consist of acoustically complex sequences of vocalisations. However, little is known about what information listeners extract from such time-varying sensory streams. Here, we utilise female mice's natural behavioural response to male courtship songs to identify the relevant acoustic dimensions used in their social decisions. We found that females were highly sensitive to disruptions of song temporal regularity and preferentially approached playbacks of intact over rhythmically irregular versions of male songs. In contrast, female behaviour was invariant to manipulations affecting the songs' sequential organisation or the spectro-temporal structure of individual syllables. The results reveal temporal regularity as a key acoustic cue extracted by mammalian listeners from complex vocal sequences during goal-directed social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Perrodin
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Colombine Verzat
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Idiap Research InstituteMartignySwitzerland
| | - Daniel Bendor
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Experimental Psychology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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2
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Beck J, Wernisch B, Klaus T, Penn DJ, Zala SM. Attraction of female house mice to male ultrasonic courtship vocalizations depends on their social experience and estrous stage. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0285642. [PMID: 37816035 PMCID: PMC10564145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Male house mice (Mus musculus) produce complex ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), especially during courtship and mating. Playback experiments suggest that female attraction towards recordings of male USVs depends on their social experience, paternal exposure, and estrous stage. We conducted a playback experiment with wild-derived female house mice (M. musculus musculus) and compared their attraction to male USVs versus the same recording without USVs (background noise). We tested whether female attraction to USVs is influenced by the following factors: (1) social housing (two versus one female per cage); (2) neonatal paternal exposure (rearing females with versus without father); and (3) estrous stage. We found that females showed a significant attraction to male USVs but only when they were housed socially with another female. Individually housed females showed the opposite response. We found no evidence that pre-weaning exposure to a father influenced females' preferences, whereas estrous stage influenced females' attraction to male USVs: females not in estrus showed preferences towards male USVs, whereas estrous females did not. Finally, we found that individually housed females were more likely to be in sexually receptive estrous stages than those housed socially, and that attraction to male USVs was most pronounced amongst non-receptive females that were socially housed. Our findings indicate that the attraction of female mice to male USVs depends upon their social experience and estrous stage, though not paternal exposure. They contribute to the growing number of studies showing that social housing and estrous stage can influence the behavior of house mice and we show how such unreported variables can contribute to the replication crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Beck
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bettina Wernisch
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Teresa Klaus
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J. Penn
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah M. Zala
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Agarwalla S, De A, Bandyopadhyay S. Predictive Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization Sequences: Uncovering Behavioral Significance, Auditory Cortex Neuronal Preferences, and Social-Experience-Driven Plasticity. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6141-6163. [PMID: 37541836 PMCID: PMC10476644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2353-22.2023] [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: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) contain predictable sequential structures like bird songs and speech. Neural representation of USVs in the mouse primary auditory cortex (Au1) and its plasticity with experience has been largely studied with single-syllables or dyads, without using the predictability in USV sequences. Studies using playback of USV sequences have used randomly selected sequences from numerous possibilities. The current study uses mutual information to obtain context-specific natural sequences (NSeqs) of USV syllables capturing the observed predictability in male USVs in different contexts of social interaction with females. Behavioral and physiological significance of NSeqs over random sequences (RSeqs) lacking predictability were examined. Female mice, never having the social experience of being exposed to males, showed higher selectivity for NSeqs behaviorally and at cellular levels probed by expression of immediate early gene c-fos in Au1. The Au1 supragranular single units also showed higher selectivity to NSeqs over RSeqs. Social-experience-driven plasticity in encoding NSeqs and RSeqs in adult females was probed by examining neural selectivities to the same sequences before and after the above social experience. Single units showed enhanced selectivity for NSeqs over RSeqs after the social experience. Further, using two-photon Ca2+ imaging, we observed social experience-dependent changes in the selectivity of sequences of excitatory and somatostatin-positive inhibitory neurons but not parvalbumin-positive inhibitory neurons of Au1. Using optogenetics, somatostatin-positive neurons were identified as a possible mediator of the observed social-experience-driven plasticity. Our study uncovers the importance of predictive sequences and introduces mouse USVs as a promising model to study context-dependent speech like communications.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans need to detect patterns in the sensory world. For instance, speech is meaningful sequences of acoustic tokens easily differentiated from random ordered tokens. The structure derives from the predictability of the tokens. Similarly, mouse vocalization sequences have predictability and undergo context-dependent modulation. Our work investigated whether mice differentiate such informative predictable sequences (NSeqs) of communicative significance from RSeqs at the behavioral, molecular, and neuronal levels. Following a social experience in which NSeqs occur as a crucial component, mouse auditory cortical neurons become more sensitive to differences between NSeqs and RSeqs, although preference for individual tokens is unchanged. Thus, speech-like communication and its dysfunction may be studied in circuit, cellular, and molecular levels in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Agarwalla
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amiyangshu De
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
- Advanced Technology Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Sharba Bandyopadhyay
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
- Advanced Technology Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
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Sterling ML, Teunisse R, Englitz B. Rodent ultrasonic vocal interaction resolved with millimeter precision using hybrid beamforming. eLife 2023; 12:e86126. [PMID: 37493217 PMCID: PMC10522333 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) fulfill an important role in communication and navigation in many species. Because of their social and affective significance, rodent USVs are increasingly used as a behavioral measure in neurodevelopmental and neurolinguistic research. Reliably attributing USVs to their emitter during close interactions has emerged as a difficult, key challenge. If addressed, all subsequent analyses gain substantial confidence. We present a hybrid ultrasonic tracking system, Hybrid Vocalization Localizer (HyVL), that synergistically integrates a high-resolution acoustic camera with high-quality ultrasonic microphones. HyVL is the first to achieve millimeter precision (~3.4-4.8 mm, 91% assigned) in localizing USVs, ~3× better than other systems, approaching the physical limits (mouse snout ~10 mm). We analyze mouse courtship interactions and demonstrate that males and females vocalize in starkly different relative spatial positions, and that the fraction of female vocalizations has likely been overestimated previously due to imprecise localization. Further, we find that when two male mice interact with one female, one of the males takes a dominant role in the interaction both in terms of the vocalization rate and the location relative to the female. HyVL substantially improves the precision with which social communication between rodents can be studied. It is also affordable, open-source, easy to set up, can be integrated with existing setups, and reduces the required number of experiments and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max L Sterling
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Visual Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboudumc, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Ruben Teunisse
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Englitz
- Computational Neuroscience Lab, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Piastolov SV, Volodin IA, Vasilieva NY, Khrushchova AM, Shekarova ON, Volodina EV. Comparison of ultrasonic isolation calls of pure-breeding and interspecies hybrid Phodopus dwarf hamster pups. Behav Processes 2023; 210:104917. [PMID: 37459937 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
In mammalian cross-species hybrids, parameters of voice calls, produced by vocal fold vibrations, are intermediate between parental species. Inheritance of ultrasonic calls, produced by whistle mechanism, is unstudied for hybrids. We examined 4000 pup ultrasonic isolation-induced calls for peak power of call fundamental frequency and for call duration in 4-8-day-old captive hamsters of four Study Groups: pure Phodopus sungorus; pure P. campbelli of two populations (Mongolian and Kosh-Agach) and hybrids between male P. sungorus and female P. campbelli (Kosh-Agach). All Study Groups produced two categories of ultrasonic calls: Low-Frequency centered around 41 kHz and High-Frequency centered around 60 kHz, but in different percentages. Between populations, only Low-Frequency calls were shorter and higher-frequency in Mongolian P. campbelli. Between species, only High-Frequency calls were shorter and higher-frequency in P. sungorus. In hybrids, Low-Frequency calls were shorter and lower-frequency than in either parental species, whereas High-Frequency calls were longer and lower-frequency in hybrids than in pure P. sungorus but similar with another parental species. We discuss that interspecific hybridization may give rise to offspring with new properties of ultrasonic calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semen V Piastolov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia.
| | - Nina Yu Vasilieva
- Department of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Anastasia M Khrushchova
- Department of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Olga N Shekarova
- Department of Population Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
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6
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Wölfl S, Zala SM, Penn DJ. Male scent but not courtship vocalizations induce estrus in wild female house mice. Physiol Behav 2023; 259:114053. [PMID: 36502894 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.114053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to males or male urinary scent can induce and accelerate the rate of female estrous cycling in house mice ("Whitten effect"), and this response has been replicated many times since its discovery over 60 years ago. Here, we tested whether exposing female mice to recordings of male courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) induces estrous cycling, and whether exposure to both male scent and USVs has a stronger effect than to either of these stimuli alone. We conducted our study with 60 wild-derived female house mice (Mus musculus musculus). After singly housing females for 14 days, we monitored estrous stages via vaginal cytology for two weeks while isolated from males or male stimuli. We continued monitoring estrus for two more weeks during experimental exposure to one of four different types of stimuli: (1) clean bedding and background noise playback (negative control); (2) recordings of male USVs (16 min per day) and clean bedding (male USV treatment); (3) soiled male bedding and background noise playback (male odor treatment; positive control); or (4) male USVs and soiled male bedding (male odor and USV treatment). Females were then paired with males to test whether any of the four treatments influenced female reproduction (especially latency to birth). We confirmed that exposure to male odor increased female cycling, as expected, but exposure to recordings of male USVs had no effect on estrus. Females exposed to both USVs and odor went through more cycles compared to controls, but did not differ significantly from exposure to male odor (and background noise). After pairing females with a male, females showing male odor-induced cycling produced their first litter sooner than controls, whereas USVs did not have such an effect. This is the first study to our knowledge to show that male odor induces estrus in wild house mice and to show functional effects on reproduction. Our results do not support the hypothesis that male vocalizations induce female estrus, although we suggest other approaches that could be used to further test this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Wölfl
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah M Zala
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria.
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Wu Y, Jarvis ED, Sarkar A. Bayesian semiparametric Markov renewal mixed models for vocalization syntax. Biostatistics 2022:kxac050. [PMID: 36583955 DOI: 10.1093/biostatistics/kxac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech and language play an important role in human vocal communication. Studies have shown that vocal disorders can result from genetic factors. In the absence of high-quality data on humans, mouse vocalization experiments in laboratory settings have been proven useful in providing valuable insights into mammalian vocal development, including especially the impact of certain genetic mutations. Such data sets usually consist of categorical syllable sequences along with continuous intersyllable interval (ISI) times for mice of different genotypes vocalizing under different contexts. ISIs are of particular importance as increased ISIs can be an indication of possible vocal impairment. Statistical methods for properly analyzing ISIs along with the transition probabilities have however been lacking. In this article, we propose a class of novel Markov renewal mixed models that capture the stochastic dynamics of both state transitions and ISI lengths. Specifically, we model the transition dynamics and the ISIs using Dirichlet and gamma mixtures, respectively, allowing the mixture probabilities in both cases to vary flexibly with fixed covariate effects as well as random individual-specific effects. We apply our model to analyze the impact of a mutation in the Foxp2 gene on mouse vocal behavior. We find that genotypes and social contexts significantly affect the length of ISIs but, compared to previous analyses, the influences of genotype and social context on the syllable transition dynamics are weaker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Abhra Sarkar
- Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Lenschow C, Mendes ARP, Lima SQ. Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:943888. [PMID: 36247731 PMCID: PMC9559228 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.943888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is a potent generator of diversity and a fundamental pillar for sexual selection and evolution. Mate choice is a multistage affair, where complex sensory information and elaborate actions are used to identify, scrutinize, and evaluate potential mating partners. While widely accepted that communication during mate assessment relies on multimodal cues, most studies investigating the mechanisms controlling this fundamental behavior have restricted their focus to the dominant sensory modality used by the species under examination, such as vision in humans and smell in rodents. However, despite their undeniable importance for the initial recognition, attraction, and approach towards a potential mate, other modalities gain relevance as the interaction progresses, amongst which are touch and audition. In this review, we will: (1) focus on recent findings of how touch and audition can contribute to the evaluation and choice of mating partners, and (2) outline our current knowledge regarding the neuronal circuits processing touch and audition (amongst others) in the context of mate choice and ask (3) how these neural circuits are connected to areas that have been studied in the light of multisensory integration.
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Abbasi R, Balazs P, Marconi MA, Nicolakis D, Zala SM, Penn DJ. Capturing the songs of mice with an improved detection and classification method for ultrasonic vocalizations (BootSnap). PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010049. [PMID: 35551265 PMCID: PMC9098080 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
House mice communicate through ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which are above the range of human hearing (>20 kHz), and several automated methods have been developed for USV detection and classification. Here we evaluate their advantages and disadvantages in a full, systematic comparison, while also presenting a new approach. This study aims to 1) determine the most efficient USV detection tool among the existing methods, and 2) develop a classification model that is more generalizable than existing methods. In both cases, we aim to minimize the user intervention required for processing new data. We compared the performance of four detection methods in an out-of-the-box approach, pretrained DeepSqueak detector, MUPET, USVSEG, and the Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector (A-MUD). We also compared these methods to human visual or ‘manual’ classification (ground truth) after assessing its reliability. A-MUD and USVSEG outperformed the other methods in terms of true positive rates using default and adjusted settings, respectively, and A-MUD outperformed USVSEG when false detection rates were also considered. For automating the classification of USVs, we developed BootSnap for supervised classification, which combines bootstrapping on Gammatone Spectrograms and Convolutional Neural Networks algorithms with Snapshot ensemble learning. It successfully classified calls into 12 types, including a new class of false positives that is useful for detection refinement. BootSnap outperformed the pretrained and retrained state-of-the-art tool, and thus it is more generalizable. BootSnap is freely available for scientific use. House mice and many other species use ultrasonic vocalizations to communicate in various contexts including social and sexual interactions. These vocalizations are increasingly investigated in research on animal communication and as a phenotype for studying the genetic basis of autism and speech disorders. Because manual methods for analyzing vocalizations are extremely time consuming, automatic tools for detection and classification are needed. We evaluated the performance of the available tools for analyzing ultrasonic vocalizations, and we compared detection tools for the first time to manual methods (“ground truth”) using recordings from wild-derived and laboratory mice. For the first time, class-wise inter-observer reliability of manual labels used for ground truth are analyzed and reported. Moreover, we developed a new classification method based on ensemble deep learning that provides more generalizability than the current state-of-the-art tool (both pretrained and retrained). Our new classification method is free for scientific use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyhaneh Abbasi
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Cognition, Behaviour and Neuroscience, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Peter Balazs
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Adelaide Marconi
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Nicolakis
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah M. Zala
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J. Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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Wieckowski M, Ranga S, Moison D, Messiaen S, Abdallah S, Granon S, Habert R, Rouiller-Fabre V, Livera G, Guerquin MJ. Unexpected Interacting Effects of Physical (Radiation) and Chemical (Bisphenol A) Treatments on Male Reproductive Functions in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111808. [PMID: 34769238 PMCID: PMC8584123 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, numerous chemical pollutants have been described to interfere with endogenous hormone metabolism/signaling altering reproductive functions. Among these endocrine disrupting substances, Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used compound, is known to negatively impact germ and somatic cells in the testis. Physical agents, such as ionizing radiation, were also described to perturb spermatogenesis. Despite the fact that we are constantly exposed to numerous environmental chemical and physical compounds, very few studies explore the impact of combined exposure to chemical and physical pollutants on reproductive health. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of fetal co-exposure to BPA and IR on testicular function in mice. We exposed pregnant mice to 10 µM BPA (corresponding to 0.5 mg/kg/day) in drinking water from 10.5 dpc until birth, and we irradiated mice with 0.2 Gy (γ-ray, RAD) at 12.5 days post-conception. Co-exposure to BPA and γ-ray induces DNA damage in fetal germ cells in an additive manner, leading to a long-lasting decrease in germ cell abundance. We also observed significant alteration of adult steroidogenesis by RAD exposure independently of the BPA exposure. This is illustrated by the downregulation of steroidogenic genes and the decrease of the number of adult Leydig cells. As a consequence, courtship behavior is modified, and male ultrasonic vocalizations associated with courtship decreased. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for the importance of broadening the concept of endocrine disruptors to include physical agents, leading to a reevaluation of risk management and regulatory decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Wieckowski
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Stéphanie Ranga
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Delphine Moison
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Sébastien Messiaen
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Sonia Abdallah
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Sylvie Granon
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute (Neuro-PSI), CNRS UMR 9197, Paris-Sud University, 91400 Saclay, France;
- Paris-Saclay University, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - René Habert
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Virginie Rouiller-Fabre
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Gabriel Livera
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Correspondence: (G.L.); (M.-J.G.)
| | - Marie-Justine Guerquin
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, UMR-008 Genetic Stability Stem Cells and Radiations, Université de Paris, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; (M.W.); (S.R.); (D.M.); (S.M.); (S.A.); (R.H.); (V.R.-F.)
- Université Paris Saclay, CEA/DRF/IBFJ/IRCM, 98 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Correspondence: (G.L.); (M.-J.G.)
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12
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Individuality, as well as genetic background, affects syntactical features of courtship songs in male mice. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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13
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Mesa AM, Mao J, Medrano TI, Bivens NJ, Jurkevich A, Tuteja G, Cooke PS, Rosenfeld CS. Spatial Transcriptomics analysis of uterine gene expression in enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) conditional knockout mice. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:1126-1139. [PMID: 34344022 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone proteins undergo various modifications that alter chromatin structure, including addition of methyl groups. Enhancer of homolog 2 (EZH2), is a histone methyltransferase that methylates lysine residue 27, and thereby, suppresses gene expression. EZH2 plays integral role in the uterus and other reproductive organs. We have previously shown that conditional deletion of uterine EZH2 results in increased proliferation of luminal and glandular epithelial cells, and RNAseq analyses reveal several uterine transcriptomic changes in Ezh2 conditional (c) knockout (KO) mice that can affect estrogen signaling pathways. To pinpoint the origin of such gene expression changes, we used the recently developed spatial transcriptomics (ST) method with the hypotheses that Ezh2cKO mice would predominantly demonstrate changes in epithelial cells and/or ablation of this gene would disrupt normal epithelial/stromal gene expression patterns. Uteri were collected from ovariectomized adult WT and Ezh2cKO mice and analyzed by ST. Asb4, Cxcl14, Dio2, and Igfbp5 were increased, Sult1d1, Mt3, and Lcn2 were reduced in Ezh2cKO uterine epithelium vs. WT epithelium. For Ezh2cKO uterine stroma, differentially expressed key hub genes included Cald1, Fbln1, Myh11, Acta2, and Tagln. Conditional loss of uterine Ezh2 also appears to shift the balance of gene expression profiles in epithelial vs. stromal tissue toward uterine epithelial cell and gland development and proliferation, consistent with uterine gland hyperplasia in these mice. Current findings provide further insight into how EZH2 may selectively affect uterine epithelial and stromal compartments. Additionally, these transcriptome data might provide the mechanistic understanding and valuable biomarkers for human endometrial disorders with epigenetic underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Mesa
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,Grupo de Investigación en Agrociencias, Biodiversidad y Territorio - GAMMA, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 N° 52-21, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Jiude Mao
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Theresa I Medrano
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Nathan J Bivens
- Genomics Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Alexander Jurkevich
- Advanced Light Microscopy Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Geetu Tuteja
- Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Paul S Cooke
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Cheryl S Rosenfeld
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.,Data Science and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia; MO 65211, USA.,Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
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14
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Zala SM, Nicolakis D, Marconi MA, Noll A, Ruf T, Balazs P, Penn DJ. Primed to vocalize: Wild-derived male house mice increase vocalization rate and diversity after a previous encounter with a female. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242959. [PMID: 33296411 PMCID: PMC7725367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Males in a wide variety of taxa, including insects, birds and mammals, produce vocalizations to attract females. Male house mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), especially during courtship and mating, which are surprising complex. It is often suggested that male mice vocalize at higher rates after interacting with a female, but the evidence is mixed depending upon the strain of mice. We conducted a study with wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus) to test whether male courtship vocalizations (i.e., vocalizations emitted in a sexual context) are influenced by a prior direct interaction with a female, and if so, determine how long the effect lasts. We allowed sexually naïve males to directly interact with a female for five minutes (sexual priming), and then we recorded males'vocalizations either 1, 10, 20, or 30 days later when presented with an unfamiliar female (separated by a perforated partition) and female scent. We automatically detected USVs and processed recordings using the Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector (A-MUD version 3.2), and we describe our improved version of this tool and tests of its performance. We measured vocalization rate and spectro-temporal features and we manually classified USVs into 15 types to investigate priming effects on vocal repertoire diversity and composition. After sexual priming, males emitted nearly three times as many USVs, they had a larger repertoire diversity, and their vocalizations had different spectro-temporal features (USV length, slope and variability in USV frequency) compared to unprimed controls. Unprimed control males had the most distinctive repertoire composition compared to the primed groups. Most of the effects were found when comparing unprimed to all primed males (treatment models), irrespective of the time since priming. Timepoint models showed that USV length increased 1 day after priming, that repertoire diversity increased 1 and 20 days after priming, and that the variability of USV frequencies was lower 20 and 30 days after priming. Our results show that wild-derived male mice increased the number and diversity of courtship vocalizations if they previously interacted with a female. Thus, the USVs of house mice are not only context-dependent, they depend upon previous social experience and perhaps the contexts of these experiences. The effect of sexual priming on male courtship vocalizations is likely mediated by neuro-endocrine-mechanisms, which may function to advertise males' sexual arousal and facilitate social recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Zala
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Nicolakis
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Anton Noll
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Ruf
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Balazs
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J. Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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15
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Marconi MA, Nicolakis D, Abbasi R, Penn DJ, Zala SM. Ultrasonic courtship vocalizations of male house mice contain distinct individual signatures. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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16
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Agarwalla S, Arroyo NS, Long NE, O'Brien WT, Abel T, Bandyopadhyay S. Male-specific alterations in structure of isolation call sequences of mouse pups with 16p11.2 deletion. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 19:e12681. [PMID: 32558237 PMCID: PMC7116069 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
16p11.2 deletion is one of the most common gene copy variations that increases the susceptibility to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. This syndrome leads to developmental delays, including speech impairment and delays in expressive language and communication skills. To study developmental impairment of vocal communication associated with 16p11.2 deletion syndrome, we used the 16p11.2del mouse model and performed an analysis of pup isolation calls (PICs). The earliest PICs at postnatal day 5 from 16p11.2del pups were found altered in a male‐specific fashion relative to wild‐type (WT) pups. Analysis of sequences of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) emitted by pups using mutual information between syllables at different positions in the USV spectrograms showed that dependencies exist between syllables in WT mice of both sexes. The order of syllables was not random; syllables were emitted in an ordered fashion. The structure observed in the WT pups was identified and the pattern of syllable sequences was considered typical for the mouse line. However, typical patterns were totally absent in the 16p11.2del male pups, showing on average random syllable sequences, while the 16p11.2del female pups had dependencies similar to the WT pups. Thus, we found that PICs were reduced in number in male 16p11.2 pups and their vocalizations lack the syllable sequence order emitted by WT males and females and 16p11.2 females. Therefore, our study is the first to reveal sex‐specific perinatal communication impairment in a mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion and applies a novel, more granular method of analysing the structure of USVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Agarwalla
- Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
| | - Noelle S Arroyo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Natalie E Long
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - William T O'Brien
- Department of Pharmacology/ITMAT, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Sharba Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India.,Advanced Technology Development Centre (ATDC), IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
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17
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Nicolakis D, Marconi MA, Zala SM, Penn DJ. Ultrasonic vocalizations in house mice depend upon genetic relatedness of mating partners and correlate with subsequent reproductive success. Front Zool 2020; 17:10. [PMID: 32265997 PMCID: PMC7118824 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-020-00353-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Courtship vocalizations are used by males of many species to attract and influence the behavior of potential mating partners. Our aim here was to investigate the modulation and reproductive consequences of courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus musculus). The courtship USVs of male mice are surprisingly complex and are composed of a variety of different syllable types. Our specific aims were to test whether (1) the emission of courtship USVs depends upon the kinship of a potential mating partner, and (2) whether USV emission during courtship affects the pairs’ subsequent reproductive success. Results We experimentally presented males with an unfamiliar female that was either genetically related or unrelated, and we recorded USV emission, first while the sexes were separated by a perforated partition and then during direct interactions, after removing the partition. USVs were detected by the Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector (A-MUD) and manually classified into 15 syllable types. The mice were kept together to test whether and how courtship vocalizations predict their subsequent reproductive success. We found that the mice significantly increased their amount of vocalizations (vocal performance) and number of syllable types (vocal repertoire) after the partition was removed and they began interacting directly. We show that unrelated pairs emitted longer and more complex USVs compared to related pairs during direct interactions. Unrelated pairs also had a greater reproductive success compared to related pairs, and in addition we found a negative correlation between the mean length and amount of vocalizations with the latency to their first litter. Conclusion Our study provides evidence that house mice modulate the emission of courtship USVs depending upon the kinship of potential mating partners, and that courtship USVs correlate with reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Nicolakis
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Adelaide Marconi
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah M Zala
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
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18
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Ronald KL, Zhang X, Morrison MV, Miller R, Hurley LM. Male mice adjust courtship behavior in response to female multimodal signals. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229302. [PMID: 32241020 PMCID: PMC7117945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Multimodal signaling is nearly ubiquitous across animal taxa. While much research has focused on male signal production contributing to female mate-choice or preferences, females often give their own multimodal signals during intersexual communication events. Multimodal signal components are often classified based on whether they contain redundant information (e.g., the backup hypothesis) or non-redundant information (e.g., the multiple messages hypothesis) from the perspective of the receiver. We investigated the role of two different female vocalizations produced by the female house mouse (Mus musculus): the broadband, relatively low-frequency squeaks (broadband vocalizations or BBVs,), and the higher-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). These female vocalizations may convey differently valenced information to the male receivers. We paired these vocalizations with and without female urine to examine the influence of combining information across multiple modalities. We found evidence that female urine and vocalizations act as non-redundant multimodal cues as males responded with different behaviors and vocalization rates depending on the female signal presented. Additionally, male mice responded with greater courtship effort to the multimodal combination of female USVs paired with female urine than any other signal combination. These results suggest that the olfactory information contained in female urine provides the context by which males can then evaluate potentially ambiguous female vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L. Ronald
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI, United States of America
| | - Xinzhu Zhang
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Matthew V. Morrison
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Ryan Miller
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Laura M. Hurley
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
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19
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Nomoto K, Hashiguchi A, Asaba A, Osakada T, Kato M, Koshida N, Mogi K, Kikusui T. Female C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice differently use the acoustic features of male ultrasonic vocalizations for social preferences. Exp Anim 2020; 69:319-325. [PMID: 32101835 PMCID: PMC7445051 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.19-0119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Male mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to the presence of female mice
and their urine. Male USVs attract females, enhancing female reproductive functions, and
are thus considered as the courtship song. Previous studies have shown that female mice
exhibit disassortative social preferences for male USVs. However, it remains unclear what
acoustic features female mice use for the development of these preferences. To address
this, we examined social preferences of female C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice using the
three-chamber preference test using recorded male USVs. To dissociate the peak frequencies
of these USVs from their syllable structure, we digitally manipulated the peak frequencies
accordingly. We found that female mice preferred USVs that were dissimilar to those of
their own strain. We also observed that, while female C57BL/6 mice were sensitive to
changes in the syllable structure and the peak frequency, female BALB/c mice were
sensitive to differences in the syllable structure. Our results demonstrate that female
C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice differently use the acoustic features such as the peak frequency
and the syllable structure for exhibiting disassortative social preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensaku Nomoto
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Akiko Hashiguchi
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Akari Asaba
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.,ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, JST, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kato
- Kato Acoustics Consulting Office, 2-8-9-303 Susukino, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 225-0021, Japan
| | - Nobuyoshi Koshida
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Mogi
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kikusui
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
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20
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Springall BT, Li H, Kalcounis-Rueppell MC. The In-Flight Social Calls of Insectivorous Bats: Species Specific Behaviors and Contexts of Social Call Production. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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21
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Categorization of Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalizations Using Machine Learning Techniques. ACOUSTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/acoustics1040050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A study of the ultrasonic vocalizations of several adult male BALB/c mice in the presence of a female, is undertaken in this study. A total of 179 distinct ultrasonic syllables referred to as “phonemes” are isolated, and in the resulting dataset, k-means and agglomerative clustering algorithms are implemented to group the ultrasonic vocalizations into clusters based on features extracted from their pitch contours. In order to find the optimal number of clusters, the elbow method was used, and nine distinct categories were obtained. Results when the k-means method was applied are presented through a matching matrix, while clustering results when the agglomerative technique was applied are presented as a dendrogram. The results of both methods are in line with the manual annotations made by the authors, as well as with the ones presented in the literature. The two methods of unsupervised analysis applied on 14 element feature vectors provide evidence that vocalizations can be grouped into nine clusters, which translates into the claim that there is a distinct repertoire of “syllables” or “phonemes”.
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22
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Campbell P, Arévalo L, Martin H, Chen C, Sun S, Rowe AH, Webster MS, Searle JB, Pasch B. Vocal divergence is concordant with genomic evidence for strong reproductive isolation in grasshopper mice ( Onychomys). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12886-12896. [PMID: 31788222 PMCID: PMC6875671 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral barriers to gene flow often evolve faster than intrinsic incompatibilities and can eliminate the opportunity for hybridization between interfertile species. While acoustic signal divergence is a common driver of premating isolation in birds and insects, its contribution to speciation in mammals is less studied. Here we characterize the incidence of, and potential barriers to, hybridization among three closely related species of grasshopper mice (genus Onychomys). All three species use long-distance acoustic signals to attract and localize mates; Onychomys arenicola and Onychomys torridus are acoustically similar and morphologically cryptic whereas Onychomys leucogaster is larger and acoustically distinct. We used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to test for evidence of introgression in 227 mice from allopatric and sympatric localities in the western United States and northern Mexico. We conducted laboratory mating trials for all species pairs to assess reproductive compatibility, and recorded vocalizations from O. arenicola and O. torridus in sympatry and allopatry to test for evidence of acoustic character displacement. Hybridization was rare in nature and, contrary to prior evidence for O. torridus/O. arenicola hybrids, only involved O. leucogaster and O. arenicola. In contrast, laboratory crosses between O. torridus and O. arenicola produced litters whereas O. leucogaster and O. arenicola crosses did not. Call fundamental frequency in O. torridus and O. arenicola was indistinguishable in allopatry but significantly differentiated in sympatry, a pattern consistent with reproductive character displacement. These results suggest that assortative mating based on a long-distance signal is an important isolating mechanism between O. torridus and O. arenicola and highlight the importance of behavioral barriers in determining the permeability of species boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polly Campbell
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal BiologyUniversity of California, RiversideRiversideCAUSA
| | - Lena Arévalo
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
- Department of Developmental PathologyUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Heather Martin
- Department of Integrative BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Charles Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
| | - Shuzhen Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyOklahoma State UniversityStillwaterOKUSA
- Department of Forest and Conservation SciencesForest Science CentreThe University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCCanada
| | - Ashlee H. Rowe
- Department of BiologyThe University of OklahomaNormanOKUSA
| | - Michael S. Webster
- Macaulay LibraryCornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
- Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Jeremy B. Searle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Bret Pasch
- Department of Biological SciencesNorthern Arizona UniversityFlagstaffAZUSA
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23
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Zaytseva AS, Volodin IA, Ilchenko OG, Volodina EV. Ultrasonic vocalization of pup and adult fat-tailed gerbils (Pachyuromys duprasi). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219749. [PMID: 31356642 PMCID: PMC6663002 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of laboratory rodents indicate animal emotional arousal and may serve as models of human disorders. We analysed spectrographically USV calls of pup and adult fat-tailed gerbils Pachyuromys duprasi during 420-s tests, including isolation, touch and handling. Based on combination of six different USV syllable contour shapes and six different note compositions, we classified 782 USV syllables of 24 pups aged 5-10 days to 18 types and 232 syllables of 7 adults to 24 types. Pups and adults shared 16 of these 26 USV types. Percentages of USV syllables with certain contour shapes differed between pups and adults. The contour shape and note composition significantly affected most acoustic variables of USV syllables in either pups or adults. The 1-note USV syllables were most common in either pups or adults. Pup USV syllables were overall longer and higher-frequency than adult ones, reminiscent of the USV ontogenetic pathway of bats and distinctive to rats and mice. We discuss that the USV syllable types of fat-tailed gerbils were generally similar in contour shapes and note compositions with USV syllable types of mice and rats, what means that software developed for automated classifying of mice ultrasound might be easily adapted or re-tuned to gerbil USV calls. However, using fat-tailed gerbils as model for biomedical research including control of USV vocalization is only possible since 6th day of pup life, because of the delayed emergence of USV calls in ontogeny of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra S. Zaytseva
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya A. Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Scientific Research Department, Moscow Zoo, Moscow, Russia
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24
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Nomoto K, Ikumi M, Otsuka M, Asaba A, Kato M, Koshida N, Mogi K, Kikusui T. Female mice exhibit both sexual and social partner preferences for vocalizing males. Integr Zool 2019; 13:735-744. [PMID: 30019858 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic signals are widely used as courtship signals in the animal kingdom. It has long been known that male mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in the presence of female mice or in response to female secretions. This observation led to the hypothesis that male USVs play a role in courtship behavior. Although previous studies showed that female mice have a social partner preference for vocalizing males, it is not known if they exhibit a sexual partner preference when given a choice. To address this issue, we examined the copulatory behaviors of female mice with either devocalized males (with or without the playback of the USVs) or sham-operated males in 2 different behavioral paradigms: the no-choice paradigm in the home cage of a male mouse (without choice of mating partners) or the mate-choice paradigm in a 3-chambered apparatus (with choice of mating partners). In the no-choice paradigm, female mice exhibited comparable sexual receptivity with sham-operated and devocalized males. In addition, we found that female mice showed more approach behavior towards devocalized males when male USVs were played back. In the mate-choice paradigm, female mice visited more frequently and stayed longer with sham-operated than devocalized males. Furthermore, we showed that female mice received more intromissions from sham-operated males than devocalized males. In summary, our results suggested that, although female mice can copulate equally with both devocalized and vocalizing males when given no choice of mating partner, female mice exhibit both sexual and social partner preferences for vocalizing males in the mate-choice paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensaku Nomoto
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Mayu Ikumi
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Monami Otsuka
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Akari Asaba
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | | | - Nobuyoshi Koshida
- Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Mogi
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kikusui
- Companion Animal Research Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan
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Kalcounis-Rueppell MC, Petric R, Marler CA. The Bold, Silent Type: Predictors of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in the Genus Peromyscus. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
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Screven LA, Dent ML. Preference in female laboratory mice is influenced by social experience. Behav Processes 2018; 157:171-179. [PMID: 30273755 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mice must perceive and interpret the signals they are presented with to evaluate potential mates, and should show a preference for high quality conspecifics. The present experiment was designed to investigate preference for acoustic, olfactory, and acoustic + olfactory signals in laboratory mice. Eighteen female CBA/CaJ mice, socially housed or isolated, were tested to evaluate preference for signals produced by males. Social experience influenced female preference for male USV playback and soiled bedding. Female mice who had experience with males showed a stronger preference for olfactory signals, whereas female mice with experience only with other females preferred USV playback. Isolated mice showed a greater preference for signals of different modalities presented together than socially experienced mice. This preference may have occurred because of increased motivation to make social contact. The findings of this experiment illustrate that social experience could play a role in mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel A Screven
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
| | - Micheal L Dent
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA.
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Cerveira AM, Soares JA, Bastos-Silveira C, Mathias MDL. Reproductive isolation between sister species of Iberian pine voles, Microtus duodecimcostatus and M. lusitanicus. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2018.1508075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana M. Cerveira
- CESAM ― Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Joana A. Soares
- CESAM ― Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cristiane Bastos-Silveira
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica 58, 1250-102 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria da Luz Mathias
- CESAM ― Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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Sarkar A, Chabout J, Macopson JJ, Jarvis ED, Dunson DB. Bayesian Semiparametric Mixed Effects Markov Models With Application to Vocalization Syntax. J Am Stat Assoc 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2018.1423986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abhra Sarkar
- Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
| | | | | | - Erich D. Jarvis
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - David B. Dunson
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC
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Johnson SA, Farrington MJ, Murphy CR, Caldo PD, McAllister LA, Kaur S, Chun C, Ortega MT, Marshall BL, Hoffmann F, Ellersieck MR, Schenk AK, Rosenfeld CS. Multigenerational effects of bisphenol A or ethinyl estradiol exposure on F2 California mice (Peromyscus californicus) pup vocalizations. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199107. [PMID: 29912934 PMCID: PMC6005501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Rodent pups use vocalizations to communicate with one or both parents in biparental species, such as California mice (Peromyscus californicus). Previous studies have shown California mice developmentally exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA) or ethinyl estradiol (EE), demonstrate later compromised parental behaviors. Reductions in F1 parental behaviors might also be due to decreased emissions of F2 pup vocalizations. Thus, vocalizations of F2 male and female California mice pups born to F1 parents developmentally exposed to BPA, EE, or controls were examined. Postnatal days (PND) 2-4 were considered early postnatal period, PND 7 and 14 were defined as mid-postnatal period, and PND 21 and 28 were classified as late postnatal period. EE pups showed increased latency to emit the first syllable compared to controls. BPA female pups had decreased syllable duration compared to control and EE female pups during the early postnatal period but enhanced responses compared to controls at late postnatal period; whereas, male BPA and EE pups showed greater syllable duration compared to controls during early postnatal period. In mid-postnatal period, F2 BPA and EE pups emitted greater number of phrases than F2 control pups. Results indicate aspects of vocalizations were disrupted in F2 pups born to F1 parents developmentally exposed to BPA or EE, but their responses were not always identical, suggesting BPA might not activate estrogen receptors to the same extent as EE. Changes in vocalization patterns by F2 pups may be due to multigenerational exposure to BPA or EE and/or reduced parental care received.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A. Johnson
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Michelle J. Farrington
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Claire R. Murphy
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Paul D. Caldo
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Leif A. McAllister
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sarabjit Kaur
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Catherine Chun
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Madison T. Ortega
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Brittney L. Marshall
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Frauke Hoffmann
- Department of Chemicals and Product Safety, The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mark R. Ellersieck
- Department of Agriculture Experimental Station-Statistics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - A. Katrin Schenk
- Department of Physics, Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Cheryl S. Rosenfeld
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Genetics Area Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Burke K, Screven LA, Dent ML. CBA/CaJ mouse ultrasonic vocalizations depend on prior social experience. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197774. [PMID: 29874248 PMCID: PMC5991354 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have variable spectrotemporal features, which researchers use to parse them into different categories. USVs may be important for communication, but it is unclear whether the categories that researchers have developed are relevant to the mice. Instead, other properties such as the number, rate, peak frequency, or bandwidth of the vocalizations may be important cues that the mice are using to interpret the nature of the social interaction. To investigate this, a comprehensive catalog of the USVs that mice are producing across different social contexts must be created. Forty male and female adult CBA/CaJ mice were recorded in isolation for five minutes following either a one-hour period of isolation or an exposure to a same- or opposite-sex mouse. Vocalizations were separated into nine categories based on the frequency composition of each USV. Additionally, USVs were quantified based on the bandwidth, duration, peak frequency, total number, and proportion of vocalizations produced. Results indicate that mice differentially produce their vocalizations across social encounters. There were significant differences in the number of USVs that mice produce across exposure conditions, the proportional probability of producing the different categories of USVs across sex and conditions, and the features of the USVs across conditions. In sum, there are sex-specific differences in production of USVs by laboratory mice, and prior social experiences matter for vocalization production. Furthermore, this study provides critical evidence that female mice probably produce vocalizations in opposite-sex interactions, which is important because this is an often overlooked variable in mouse communication research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kali Burke
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
| | - Laurel A. Screven
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
| | - Micheal L. Dent
- Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Sex-dependent modulation of ultrasonic vocalizations in house mice (Mus musculus musculus). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188647. [PMID: 29236704 PMCID: PMC5728457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
House mice (Mus musculus) emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which are surprisingly complex and have features of bird song, but their functions are not well understood. Previous studies have reported mixed evidence on whether there are sex differences in USV emission, though vocalization rate or other features may depend upon whether potential receivers are of the same or opposite sex. We recorded the USVs of wild-derived adult house mice (F1 of wild-caught Mus musculus musculus), and we compared the vocalizations of males and females in response to a stimulus mouse of the same- or opposite-sex. To detect and quantify vocalizations, we used an algorithm that automatically detects USVs (Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector or A-MUD). We found high individual variation in USV emission rates (4 to 2083 elements/10 min trial) and a skewed distribution, with most mice (60%) emitting few (≤50) elements. We found no differences in the rates of calling between the sexes overall, but mice of both sexes emitted vocalizations at a higher rate and higher frequencies during opposite- compared to same-sex interactions. We also observed a trend toward higher amplitudes by males when presented with a male compared to a female stimulus. Our results suggest that mice modulate the rate and frequency of vocalizations depending upon the sex of potential receivers.
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Zala SM, Reitschmidt D, Noll A, Balazs P, Penn DJ. Automatic mouse ultrasound detector (A-MUD): A new tool for processing rodent vocalizations. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181200. [PMID: 28727808 PMCID: PMC5519055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
House mice (Mus musculus) emit complex ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during social and sexual interactions, which have features similar to bird song (i.e., they are composed of several different types of syllables, uttered in succession over time to form a pattern of sequences). Manually processing complex vocalization data is time-consuming and potentially subjective, and therefore, we developed an algorithm that automatically detects mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (Automatic Mouse Ultrasound Detector or A-MUD). A-MUD is a script that runs on STx acoustic software (S_TOOLS-STx version 4.2.2), which is free for scientific use. This algorithm improved the efficiency of processing USV files, as it was 4-12 times faster than manual segmentation, depending upon the size of the file. We evaluated A-MUD error rates using manually segmented sound files as a 'gold standard' reference, and compared them to a commercially available program. A-MUD had lower error rates than the commercial software, as it detected significantly more correct positives, and fewer false positives and false negatives. The errors generated by A-MUD were mainly false negatives, rather than false positives. This study is the first to systematically compare error rates for automatic ultrasonic vocalization detection methods, and A-MUD and subsequent versions will be made available for the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Zala
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Doris Reitschmidt
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anton Noll
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Balazs
- Acoustic Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dustin J. Penn
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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Chen Y, Su QQ, Qin J, Liu QS. Call divergence in three sympatric Rattus species. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 142:29. [PMID: 28764448 PMCID: PMC5500120 DOI: 10.1121/1.4990022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
To reduce errors in species recognition and the probability of interbreeding that lowers fitness, individuals within sympatric zones shift the signals to differentiate from those of other species. In the present study, the differences of the acoustic features of ultrasounds (courtship calls during heterosexual encounters) and audible calls (distress calls during tail-clamp stress) are compared among three sympatric Rattus species (Rattus andamanensis, R. norvegicus, and R. losea). Results showed that the three species have significantly different call parameters, including call duration, peak frequency, bandwidth, pitch, goodness of pitch, frequency modulation, and Wiener entropy. This study provides quantitative evidence for character displacement in the acoustic signals of closely related sympatric Rattus species. Results indicate that the divergence of acoustic signal has arrived at the quite meticulous degree of evolution. Therefore, the acoustic signal trait is likely involved in the evolution of species diversity in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, 510260 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian-Qian Su
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, 510260 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiao Qin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, 510260 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Quan-Sheng Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, 510260 Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
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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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Finton CJ, Keesom SM, Hood KE, Hurley LM. What's in a squeak? Female vocal signals predict the sexual behaviour of male house mice during courtship. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Ultrasonic vocalization production and playback predicts intrapair and extrapair social behaviour in a monogamous mouse. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Hanson JL, Hurley LM. Serotonin, estrus, and social context influence c-Fos immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus. Behav Neurosci 2016; 130:600-613. [PMID: 27657308 PMCID: PMC5114148 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental task of sensory systems is to extract relevant social information from a range of environmental stimuli in the face of changing behavioral contexts and reproductive states. Neuromodulatory pathways that interact with such contextual variables are 1 mechanism for achieving this. In the mouse inferior colliculus (IC), a midbrain auditory region, the neuromodulator serotonin increases in females interacting with courting males, but events downstream of serotonin release have not been investigated. Here, we manipulated serotonin levels in female mice with the serotonin releaser fenfluramine or the serotonin depleter para-chlorophenylalaninemethyl ester (pCPA). Females were then exposed to an empty cage, a male partner, or a playback of courtship vocalizations, and the numbers of neurons in the IC with positive immunoreactivity for the immediate early gene product c-Fos were measured. The effects of drug treatments depended on social context and estrous state. Fenfluramine had greater effects in the nonsocial than in the partner social treatments. Females in proestrus or estrus and given fenfluramine had higher densities of c-Fos immunoreactive neurons, while females in diestrus had fewer immunoreactive neurons. The drug pCPA had the expected opposite effect of fenfluramine, causing a decreased response in pro/estrus females and an increased response in diestrus females. These findings show that the effects of serotonin on c-Fos activity in the IC of females is dependent on both external context and reproductive state, and suggest that these effects occur downstream of serotonin release. (PsycINFO Database Record
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