1
|
Bradley-Cronkwright M, Moore S, Hou L, Cote S, Rolian C. Impact of hindlimb length variation on jumping dynamics in the Longshanks mouse. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246808. [PMID: 38634230 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Distantly related mammals (e.g. jerboa, tarsiers, kangaroos) have convergently evolved elongated hindlimbs relative to body size. Limb elongation is hypothesized to make these species more effective jumpers by increasing their kinetic energy output (through greater forces or acceleration distances), thereby increasing take-off velocity and jump distance. This hypothesis, however, has rarely been tested at the population level, where natural selection operates. We examined the relationship between limb length, muscular traits and dynamics using Longshanks mice, which were selectively bred over 22 generations for longer tibiae. Longshanks mice have approximately 15% longer tibiae and 10% longer femora compared with random-bred Control mice from the same genetic background. We collected in vivo measures of locomotor kinematics and force production, in combination with behavioral data and muscle morphology, to examine how changes in bone and muscle structure observed in Longshanks mice affect their hindlimb dynamics during jumping and clambering. Longshanks mice achieved higher mean and maximum lunge-jump heights than Control mice. When jumping to a standardized height (14 cm), Longshanks mice had lower maximum ground reaction forces, prolonged contact times and greater impulses, without significant differences in average force, power or whole-body velocity. While Longshanks mice have longer plantarflexor muscle bodies and tendons than Control mice, there were no consistent differences in muscular cross-sectional area or overall muscle volume; improved lunge-jumping performance in Longshanks mice is not accomplished by simply possessing larger muscles. Independent of other morphological or behavioral changes, our results point to the benefit of longer hindlimbs for performing dynamic locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Moore
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 4N1
| | - Lily Hou
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Susanne Cote
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Campbell Rolian
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 4N1
- McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 4N1
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 0C7
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Shelley SP, James RS, Tallis J. The effects of muscle starting length on work loop power output of isolated mouse soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscle. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247158. [PMID: 38584504 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Force-length relationships derived from isometric activations may not directly apply to muscle force production during dynamic contractions. As such, different muscle starting lengths between isometric and dynamic conditions could be required to achieve maximal force and power. Therefore, this study examined the effects of starting length [±5-10% of length corresponding to maximal twitch force (L0)] on work loop (WL) power output (PO), across a range of cycle frequencies, of the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL; N=8-10) isolated from ∼8 week old C57 mice. Furthermore, passive work was examined at a fixed cycle frequency to determine the association of passive work and active net work. Starting length affected maximal WL PO of the SOL and EDL across evaluated cycle frequencies (P<0.030, ηp2>0.494). For the SOL, PO produced at -5% L0 was greater than that at most starting lengths (P<0.015, Cohen's d>0.6), except -10% L0 (P=0.135, d<0.4). However, PO produced at -10% L0 versus L0 did not differ (P=0.138, d=0.35-0.49), indicating -5% L0 is optimal for maximal SOL WL PO. For the EDL, WL PO produced at -10% L0 was lower than that at most starting lengths (P<0.032, d>1.08), except versus -5% L0 (P=0.124, d<0.97). PO produced at other starting lengths did not differ (P>0.163, d<1.04). For the SOL, higher passive work was associated with reduced PO (Spearman's r=0.709, P<0.001), but no relationship was observed between passive work and PO of the EDL (Pearson's r=0.191, r2=0.04, P=0.184). This study suggests that starting length should be optimised for both static and dynamic contractions and confirms that the force-length curve during dynamic contractions is muscle specific.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sharn P Shelley
- Research Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Science, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK
| | - Rob S James
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, UK
| | - Jason Tallis
- Research Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Science, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lawton SB, Grobe CC, Reho JJ, Raff H, Thulin JD, Jensen ES, Burnett CM, Segar JL, Grobe JL. Differences in Fluid, Electrolyte, and Energy Balance in C57BL/6J Mice ( Mus musculus) in Metabolic Caging at Thermoneutral or Standard Room Temperatures. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2024; 63:190-200. [PMID: 38191147 PMCID: PMC11022944 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-23-000091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals recommends mice be pair or group housed and provided with nesting materials. These provisions support social interactions and are also critical for thermoregulatory behaviors such as huddling and burrowing. However, studies of fluid and electrolyte balance and digestive function may involve use of metabolic caging (MC) systems in which mice are housed individually on wire-mesh floors that permit quantitative collection of urine and feces. MC housing prevents mice from performing their typical huddling and burrowing behaviors. Housing in MC can cause weight loss and behavioral changes in rodents. Here, we tested the hypothesis that MC housing of mice at standard room temperature (SRT, 22 to 23 °C) exposes them to cold stress, which causes metabolic changes in the mice as compared with standard housing. We hypothesized that performing MC studies at a thermoneutral temperature (TNT, 30 °C) would minimize these changes. Fluid, electrolyte, and energy balance and body composition were assessed in male and female C57BL/6J mice housed at SRT or TNT in MC, static microisolation cages, or a multiplexed metabolic phenotyping system designed to mimic static microisolation cages (Promethion, Sable Systems International). In brief, as compared with MC housing at SRT, MC housing at TNT was associated with lower food intake and energy expenditure, absence of weight loss, and lower urine and fecal corticosterone levels. These results indicate that housing in MC at SRT causes cold stress that can be mitigated if MC studies are performed at TNT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Br Lawton
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Connie C Grobe
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - John J Reho
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Comprehensive Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Core, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Hershel Raff
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Division of Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Joseph D Thulin
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Research Office Biomedical Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Eric S Jensen
- Department of Pediatrics, Research Office Biomedical Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Colin Ml Burnett
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Jeffrey L Segar
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Department of Pediatrics; Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Justin L Grobe
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Comprehensive Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Core, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;,
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wharton KN, Walsh C, Bauer-Pisani TJ, Smith PC, Wilson SR. Effect of Cage Change Frequency on Perinatal Mortality in C57BL/6J Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2024; 63:148-153. [PMID: 38061769 PMCID: PMC11022952 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-23-000055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Perinatal mortality is a common problem in mouse breeding colonies. Few studies have examined the influence of environmental changes on mouse pup survival. In this study, monogamous breeding cages of C57BL/6J mice were set up and randomized into 3 cage change groups: 1) cage change at 8 d after parturition, 2) cage change at 3 d after parturition, or 3) cage change at 3 d after parturition with the addition of a polycarbonate hut in the cage. Pairs were bred to produce a minimum of 4 litters. Pup survival to weaning relative to experimental cage change date, and survival rates after cage change were evaluated. The results revealed no significant differences between experimental groups. The majority of pup loss occurred within the first 24 h after birth for those pups that were alive at birth. Overall, the postpartum day of cage change did not affect the perinatal survival of mouse pups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keely N Wharton
- Yale University Department of Comparative Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Courtney Walsh
- Yale University Department of Comparative Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Peter C Smith
- Yale University Department of Comparative Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Steven R Wilson
- Yale University Department of Comparative Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ledford H. Making mice with two dads: this biologist rewrote the rules on sexual reproduction. Nature 2023; 624:499. [PMID: 38093054 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03922-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
|
6
|
Robert B, Kimchi EY, Watanabe Y, Chakoma T, Jing M, Li Y, Polley DB. A functional topography within the cholinergic basal forebrain for encoding sensory cues and behavioral reinforcement outcomes. eLife 2021; 10:e69514. [PMID: 34821218 PMCID: PMC8654357 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) project throughout the cortex to regulate arousal, stimulus salience, plasticity, and learning. Although often treated as a monolithic structure, the basal forebrain features distinct connectivity along its rostrocaudal axis that could impart regional differences in BFCN processing. Here, we performed simultaneous bulk calcium imaging from rostral and caudal BFCNs over a 1-month period of variable reinforcement learning in mice. BFCNs in both regions showed equivalently weak responses to unconditioned visual stimuli and anticipated rewards. Rostral BFCNs in the horizontal limb of the diagonal band were more responsive to reward omission, more accurately classified behavioral outcomes, and more closely tracked fluctuations in pupil-indexed global brain state. Caudal tail BFCNs in globus pallidus and substantia innominata were more responsive to unconditioned auditory stimuli, orofacial movements, aversive reinforcement, and showed robust associative plasticity for punishment-predicting cues. These results identify a functional topography that diversifies cholinergic modulatory signals broadcast to downstream brain regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Blaise Robert
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryBostonUnited States
| | - Eyal Y Kimchi
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryBostonUnited States
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Yurika Watanabe
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryBostonUnited States
| | - Tatenda Chakoma
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryBostonUnited States
| | - Miao Jing
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, BeijingBeijingChina
| | - Daniel B Polley
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryBostonUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Steinfath E, Palacios-Muñoz A, Rottschäfer JR, Yuezak D, Clemens J. Fast and accurate annotation of acoustic signals with deep neural networks. eLife 2021; 10:e68837. [PMID: 34723794 PMCID: PMC8560090 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals serve communication within and across species throughout the animal kingdom. Studying the genetics, evolution, and neurobiology of acoustic communication requires annotating acoustic signals: segmenting and identifying individual acoustic elements like syllables or sound pulses. To be useful, annotations need to be accurate, robust to noise, and fast. We here introduce DeepAudioSegmenter (DAS), a method that annotates acoustic signals across species based on a deep-learning derived hierarchical presentation of sound. We demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and speed of DAS using acoustic signals with diverse characteristics from insects, birds, and mammals. DAS comes with a graphical user interface for annotating song, training the network, and for generating and proofreading annotations. The method can be trained to annotate signals from new species with little manual annotation and can be combined with unsupervised methods to discover novel signal types. DAS annotates song with high throughput and low latency for experimental interventions in realtime. Overall, DAS is a universal, versatile, and accessible tool for annotating acoustic communication signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Steinfath
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Adrian Palacios-Muñoz
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Julian R Rottschäfer
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Deniz Yuezak
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Jan Clemens
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceGöttingenGermany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Klee JL, Souza BC, Battaglia FP. Learning differentially shapes prefrontal and hippocampal activity during classical conditioning. eLife 2021; 10:e65456. [PMID: 34665131 PMCID: PMC8545395 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to use sensory cues to inform goal-directed actions is a critical component of behavior. To study how sounds guide anticipatory licking during classical conditioning, we employed high-density electrophysiological recordings from the hippocampal CA1 area and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in mice. CA1 and PFC neurons undergo distinct learning-dependent changes at the single-cell level and maintain representations of cue identity at the population level. In addition, reactivation of task-related neuronal assemblies during hippocampal awake Sharp-Wave Ripples (aSWRs) changed within individual sessions in CA1 and over the course of multiple sessions in PFC. Despite both areas being highly engaged and synchronized during the task, we found no evidence for coordinated single cell or assembly activity during conditioning trials or aSWR. Taken together, our findings support the notion that persistent firing and reactivation of task-related neural activity patterns in CA1 and PFC support learning during classical conditioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan L Klee
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Bryan C Souza
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Francesco P Battaglia
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sun S, Jin C, Si J, Lei Y, Chen K, Cui Y, Liu Z, Liu J, Zhao M, Zhang X, Tang F, Rondina MT, Li Y, Wang QF. Single-cell analysis of ploidy and the transcriptome reveals functional and spatial divergency in murine megakaryopoiesis. Blood 2021; 138:1211-1224. [PMID: 34115843 PMCID: PMC8499048 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021010697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Megakaryocytes (MKs), the platelet progenitor cells, play important roles in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance and immunity. However, it is not known whether these diverse programs are executed by a single population or by distinct subsets of cells. Here, we manually isolated primary CD41+ MKs from the bone marrow (BM) of mice and human donors based on ploidy (2N-32N) and performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. We found that cellular heterogeneity existed within 3 distinct subpopulations that possess gene signatures related to platelet generation, HSC niche interaction, and inflammatory responses. In situ immunostaining of mouse BM demonstrated that platelet generation and the HSC niche-related MKs were in close physical proximity to blood vessels and HSCs, respectively. Proplatelets, which could give rise to platelets under blood shear forces, were predominantly formed on a platelet generation subset. Remarkably, the inflammatory responses subpopulation, consisting generally of low-ploidy LSP1+ and CD53+ MKs (≤8N), represented ∼5% of total MKs in the BM. These MKs could specifically respond to pathogenic infections in mice. Rapid expansion of this population was accompanied by strong upregulation of a preexisting PU.1- and IRF-8-associated monocytic-like transcriptional program involved in pathogen recognition and clearance as well as antigen presentation. Consistently, isolated primary CD53+ cells were capable of engulfing and digesting bacteria and stimulating T cells in vitro. Together, our findings uncover new molecular, spatial, and functional heterogeneity within MKs in vivo and demonstrate the existence of a specialized MK subpopulation that may act as a new type of immune cell.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shu Sun
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Jin
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Si
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Lei
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kunying Chen
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yueli Cui
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Biomedical Institute for Pioneering Investigation via Convergence, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenbo Liu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
| | - Jiang Liu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fuchou Tang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Biomedical Institute for Pioneering Investigation via Convergence, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Matthew T Rondina
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, and the Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; and
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Yueying Li
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qian-Fei Wang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS, Beijing, China
- China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ben Maamar M, Nilsson EE, Skinner MK. Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance, gametogenesis and germline development†. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:570-592. [PMID: 33929020 PMCID: PMC8444706 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most important developing cell types in any biological system is the gamete (sperm and egg). The transmission of phenotypes and optimally adapted physiology to subsequent generations is in large part controlled by gametogenesis. In contrast to genetics, the environment actively regulates epigenetics to impact the physiology and phenotype of cellular and biological systems. The integration of epigenetics and genetics is critical for all developmental biology systems at the cellular and organism level. The current review is focused on the role of epigenetics during gametogenesis for both the spermatogenesis system in the male and oogenesis system in the female. The developmental stages from the initial primordial germ cell through gametogenesis to the mature sperm and egg are presented. How environmental factors can influence the epigenetics of gametogenesis to impact the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of phenotypic and physiological change in subsequent generations is reviewed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Millissia Ben Maamar
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Eric E Nilsson
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Michael K Skinner
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
Studying naturalistic animal behavior remains a difficult objective. Recent machine learning advances have enabled limb localization; however, extracting behaviors requires ascertaining the spatiotemporal patterns of these positions. To provide a link from poses to actions and their kinematics, we developed B-SOiD - an open-source, unsupervised algorithm that identifies behavior without user bias. By training a machine classifier on pose pattern statistics clustered using new methods, our approach achieves greatly improved processing speed and the ability to generalize across subjects or labs. Using a frameshift alignment paradigm, B-SOiD overcomes previous temporal resolution barriers. Using only a single, off-the-shelf camera, B-SOiD provides categories of sub-action for trained behaviors and kinematic measures of individual limb trajectories in any animal model. These behavioral and kinematic measures are difficult but critical to obtain, particularly in the study of rodent and other models of pain, OCD, and movement disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I Hsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eric A Yttri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Barabas AJ, Soini HA, Novotny MV, Williams DR, Desmond JA, Lucas JR, Erasmus MA, Cheng HW, Gaskill BN. Compounds from plantar foot sweat, nesting material, and urine show strain patterns associated with agonistic and affiliative behaviors in group housed male mice, Mus musculus. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251416. [PMID: 33989318 PMCID: PMC8121354 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Excessive home cage aggression often results in severe injury and subsequent premature euthanasia of male laboratory mice. Aggression can be reduced by transferring used nesting material during cage cleaning, which is thought to contain aggression appeasing odors from the plantar sweat glands. However, neither the composition of plantar sweat nor the deposits on used nesting material have been evaluated. The aims of this study were to (1) identify and quantify volatile compounds deposited in the nest site and (2) determine if nest and sweat compounds correlate with social behavior. Home cage aggression and affiliative behavior were evaluated in 3 strains: SJL, C57BL/6N, and A/J. Individual social rank was assessed via the tube test, because ranking may influence compound levels. Sweat and urine from the dominant and subordinate mouse in each cage, plus cage level nest samples were analyzed for volatile compound content using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Behavior data and odors from the nest, sweat, and urine were statistically analyzed with separate principal component analyses (PCA). Significant components, from each sample analysis, and strain were run in mixed models to test if odors were associated with behavior. Aggressive and affiliative behaviors were primarily impacted by strain. However, compound PCs were also impacted by strain, showing that strain accounts for any relationship between odors and behavior. C57BL/6N cages displayed the most allo-grooming behavior and had high scores on sweat PC1. SJL cages displayed the most aggression, with high scores on urine PC2 and low scores on nest PC1. These data show that certain compounds in nesting material, urine, and sweat display strain specific patterns which match strain specific behavior patterns. These results provide preliminary information about the connection between home cage compounds and behavior. Salient compounds will be candidates for future controlled studies to determine their direct effect on mouse social behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Barabas
- Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Helena A. Soini
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Milos V. Novotny
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - David R. Williams
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jacob A. Desmond
- Department of Chemistry and Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey R. Lucas
- Department of Biological Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Marisa A. Erasmus
- Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Heng-Wei Cheng
- USDA-ARS, Livestock Behavior Research Unit, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Brianna N. Gaskill
- Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Abstract
Zinc is a critical component in a number of conserved processes that regulate female germ cell growth, fertility, and pregnancy. During follicle development, a sufficient intracellular concentration of zinc in the oocyte maintains meiotic arrest at prophase I until the germ cell is ready to undergo maturation. An adequate supply of zinc is necessary for the oocyte to form a fertilization-competent egg as dietary zinc deficiency or chelation of zinc disrupts maturation and reduces the oocyte quality. Following sperm fusion to the egg to initiate the acrosomal reaction, a quick release of zinc, known as the zinc spark, induces egg activation in addition to facilitating zona pellucida hardening and reducing sperm motility to prevent polyspermy. Symmetric division, proliferation, and differentiation of the preimplantation embryo rely on zinc availability, both during the oocyte development and post-fertilization. Further, the fetal contribution to the placenta, fetal limb growth, and neural tube development are hindered in females challenged with zinc deficiency during pregnancy. In this review, we discuss the role of zinc in germ cell development, fertilization, and pregnancy with a focus on recent studies in mammalian females. We further detail the fundamental zinc-mediated reproductive processes that have only been explored in non-mammalian species and speculate on the role of zinc in similar mechanisms of female mammals. The evidence collected over the last decade highlights the necessity of zinc for normal fertility and healthy pregnancy outcomes, which suggests zinc supplementation should be considered for reproductive age women at risk of zinc deficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Bruce Garner
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - James Malcolm Hester
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Allison Carothers
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Francisco J Diaz
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Integrative and Biomedical Physiology Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Animal Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Milinski L, Fisher SP, Cui N, McKillop LE, Blanco-Duque C, Ang G, Yamagata T, Bannerman DM, Vyazovskiy VV. Waking experience modulates sleep need in mice. BMC Biol 2021; 19:65. [PMID: 33823872 PMCID: PMC8025572 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00982-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Homeostatic regulation of sleep is reflected in the maintenance of a daily balance between sleep and wakefulness. Although numerous internal and external factors can influence sleep, it is unclear whether and to what extent the process that keeps track of time spent awake is determined by the content of the waking experience. We hypothesised that alterations in environmental conditions may elicit different types of wakefulness, which will in turn influence both the capacity to sustain continuous wakefulness as well as the rates of accumulating sleep pressure. To address this, we compared the effects of repetitive behaviours such as voluntary wheel running or performing a simple touchscreen task, with wakefulness dominated by novel object exploration, on sleep timing and EEG slow-wave activity (SWA) during subsequent NREM sleep. RESULTS We find that voluntary wheel running is associated with higher wake EEG theta-frequency activity and results in longer wake episodes, as compared with exploratory behaviour; yet, it does not lead to higher levels of EEG SWA during subsequent NREM sleep in either the frontal or occipital derivation. Furthermore, engagement in a touchscreen task, motivated by food reward, results in lower SWA during subsequent NREM sleep in both derivations, as compared to exploratory wakefulness, even though the total duration of wakefulness is similar. CONCLUSION Overall, our study suggests that sleep-wake behaviour is highly flexible within an individual and that the homeostatic processes that keep track of time spent awake are sensitive to the nature of the waking experience. We therefore conclude that sleep dynamics are determined, to a large degree, by the interaction between the organism and the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linus Milinski
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon P Fisher
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Nanyi Cui
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Laura E McKillop
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Cristina Blanco-Duque
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK
| | - Gauri Ang
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tomoko Yamagata
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David M Bannerman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Vladyslav V Vyazovskiy
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford/Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Mughrabi IT, Hickman J, Jayaprakash N, Thompson D, Ahmed U, Papadoyannis ES, Chang YC, Abbas A, Datta-Chaudhuri T, Chang EH, Zanos TP, Lee SC, Froemke RC, Tracey KJ, Welle C, Al-Abed Y, Zanos S. Development and characterization of a chronic implant mouse model for vagus nerve stimulation. eLife 2021; 10:e61270. [PMID: 33821789 PMCID: PMC8051950 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) suppresses inflammation and autoimmune diseases in preclinical and clinical studies. The underlying molecular, neurological, and anatomical mechanisms have been well characterized using acute electrophysiological stimulation of the vagus. However, there are several unanswered mechanistic questions about the effects of chronic VNS, which require solving numerous technical challenges for a long-term interface with the vagus in mice. Here, we describe a scalable model for long-term VNS in mice developed and validated in four research laboratories. We observed significant heart rate responses for at least 4 weeks in 60-90% of animals. Device implantation did not impair vagus-mediated reflexes. VNS using this implant significantly suppressed TNF levels in endotoxemia. Histological examination of implanted nerves revealed fibrotic encapsulation without axonal pathology. This model may be useful to study the physiology of the vagus and provides a tool to systematically investigate long-term VNS as therapy for chronic diseases modeled in mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim T Mughrabi
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Jordan Hickman
- Departments of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Naveen Jayaprakash
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Dane Thompson
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
- The Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular MedicineManhassetUnited States
| | - Umair Ahmed
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Eleni S Papadoyannis
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Neural Science, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yao-Chuan Chang
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Adam Abbas
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Timir Datta-Chaudhuri
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Eric H Chang
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Theodoros P Zanos
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Sunhee C Lee
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Neural Science, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar, New York University School of Medicine, New York UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Kevin J Tracey
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Cristin Welle
- Departments of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Yousef Al-Abed
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| | - Stavros Zanos
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell HealthManhassetUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
Standfirst: Some “species differences” between mouse and human can be diminished simply by housing mice at warmer temperatures. Failure to strategically turn up the thermostat may undermine translation of findings in mice into insights on human metabolic diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Randy J Seeley
- Departments of Surgery, Internal Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Ormond A MacDougald
- Departments of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, and Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Qiu Q, Wu Y, Ma L, Xu W, Hills M, Ramalingam V, Yu CR. Acquisition of innate odor preference depends on spontaneous and experiential activities during critical period. eLife 2021; 10:e60546. [PMID: 33769278 PMCID: PMC8032394 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals possess an inborn ability to recognize certain odors to avoid predators, seek food, and find mates. Innate odor preference is thought to be genetically hardwired. Here we report that acquisition of innate odor recognition requires spontaneous neural activity and is influenced by sensory experience during early postnatal development. Genetic silencing of mouse olfactory sensory neurons during the critical period has little impact on odor sensitivity, discrimination, and recognition later in life. However, it abolishes innate odor preference and alters the patterns of activation in brain centers. Exposure to innately recognized odors during the critical period abolishes the associated valence in adulthood in an odor-specific manner. The changes are associated with broadened projection of olfactory sensory neurons and expression of axon guidance molecules. Thus, a delicate balance of neural activity is needed during the critical period in establishing innate odor preference and convergent axon input is required to encode innate odor valence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Qiu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Yunming Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Limei Ma
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Wenjing Xu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Max Hills
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Vivekanandan Ramalingam
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| | - C Ron Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Smalheiser NR, Graetz EE, Yu Z, Wang J. Effect size, sample size and power of forced swim test assays in mice: Guidelines for investigators to optimize reproducibility. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0243668. [PMID: 33626103 PMCID: PMC7904226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent flood of publications has documented serious problems in scientific reproducibility, power, and reporting of biomedical articles, yet scientists persist in their usual practices. Why? We examined a popular and important preclinical assay, the Forced Swim Test (FST) in mice used to test putative antidepressants. Whether the mice were assayed in a naïve state vs. in a model of depression or stress, and whether the mice were given test agents vs. known antidepressants regarded as positive controls, the mean effect sizes seen in the experiments were indeed extremely large (1.5-2.5 in Cohen's d units); most of the experiments utilized 7-10 animals per group which did have adequate power to reliably detect effects of this magnitude. We propose that this may at least partially explain why investigators using the FST do not perceive intuitively that their experimental designs fall short-even though proper prospective design would require ~21-26 animals per group to detect, at a minimum, large effects (0.8 in Cohen's d units) when the true effect of a test agent is unknown. Our data provide explicit parameters and guidance for investigators seeking to carry out prospective power estimation for the FST. More generally, altering the real-life behavior of scientists in planning their experiments may require developing educational tools that allow them to actively visualize the inter-relationships among effect size, sample size, statistical power, and replicability in a direct and intuitive manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil R. Smalheiser
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Elena E. Graetz
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Zhou Yu
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Adduci LB, León VA, Schlötelburg A, Busch M, Fraschina J. Avoidance behaviour in laboratory house mice (Musmusculus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) towards predator odours. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245441. [PMID: 33471855 PMCID: PMC7817039 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mus musculus and Rattus sp. are considered pest species because they reach high densities in urban areas, crop fields and food storage and productive systems such as breeding farms and orchards. Their control relies mainly on rodenticide application, but the effectiveness of this application is reduced due to behavioural responses and resistance. Novel methods are based on the use of chemical signals as odours that may be attractants, repellents or may reduce the reproductive success of pest species. The aim of this paper is to study the aversive effect of TMT, cat urine and cat body odour on predator-inexperienced Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus under laboratory conditions. The experimental apparatus comprised three boxes connected by PVC pipes in a linear arrangement. In lateral boxes, odour sources or distilled water were introduced, while animals were placed in the central box at the beginning of the experiment. Rats showed freezing behaviour, reduced visits in the presence of TMT and cat fur. Mice reduced their visits with cat body and cat urine. This study provides evidence of the usefulness of using fear responses as a way to control rodent pests, which must be adapted to the environment and species to be applied.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luciana B. Adduci
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160—Ciudad Universitaria—C1428EGA, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanina A. León
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160—Ciudad Universitaria—C1428EGA, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Annika Schlötelburg
- Division of Land Use Systems, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg, Berlin, Germany
| | - María Busch
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160—Ciudad Universitaria—C1428EGA, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jimena Fraschina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Intendente Güiraldes 2160—Ciudad Universitaria—C1428EGA, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Premoli M, Baggi D, Bianchetti M, Gnutti A, Bondaschi M, Mastinu A, Migliorati P, Signoroni A, Leonardi R, Memo M, Bonini SA. Automatic classification of mice vocalizations using Machine Learning techniques and Convolutional Neural Networks. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0244636. [PMID: 33465075 PMCID: PMC7815145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) analysis is a well-recognized tool to investigate animal communication. It can be used for behavioral phenotyping of murine models of different disorders. The USVs are usually recorded with a microphone sensitive to ultrasound frequencies and they are analyzed by specific software. Different calls typologies exist, and each ultrasonic call can be manually classified, but the qualitative analysis is highly time-consuming. Considering this framework, in this work we proposed and evaluated a set of supervised learning methods for automatic USVs classification. This could represent a sustainable procedure to deeply analyze the ultrasonic communication, other than a standardized analysis. We used manually built datasets obtained by segmenting the USVs audio tracks analyzed with the Avisoft software, and then by labelling each of them into 10 representative classes. For the automatic classification task, we designed a Convolutional Neural Network that was trained receiving as input the spectrogram images associated to the segmented audio files. In addition, we also tested some other supervised learning algorithms, such as Support Vector Machine, Random Forest and Multilayer Perceptrons, exploiting informative numerical features extracted from the spectrograms. The performance showed how considering the whole time/frequency information of the spectrogram leads to significantly higher performance than considering a subset of numerical features. In the authors’ opinion, the experimental results may represent a valuable benchmark for future work in this research field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marika Premoli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Daniele Baggi
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marco Bianchetti
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gnutti
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marco Bondaschi
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Mastinu
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Alberto Signoroni
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Leonardi
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maurizio Memo
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sara Anna Bonini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Bayram HL, Franco C, Brownridge P, Claydon AJ, Koch N, Hurst JL, Beynon RJ, Stockley P. Social status and ejaculate composition in the house mouse. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20200083. [PMID: 33070725 PMCID: PMC7661446 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sperm competition theory predicts that males should tailor ejaculates according to their social status. Here, we test this in a model vertebrate, the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus), combining experimental data with a quantitative proteomics analysis of seminal fluid composition. Our analyses reveal that both sperm production and the composition of proteins found in seminal vesicle secretions differ according to social status. Dominant males invested more in ejaculate production overall. Their epididymides contained more sperm than those of subordinate or control males, despite similar testes size between the groups. Dominant males also had larger seminal vesicle glands than subordinate or control males, despite similar body size. However, the seminal vesicle secretions of subordinate males had a significantly higher protein concentration than those of dominant males. Moreover, detailed proteomic analysis revealed subtle but consistent differences in the composition of secreted seminal vesicle proteins according to social status, involving multiple proteins of potential functional significance in sperm competition. These findings have significant implications for understanding the dynamics and outcome of sperm competition, and highlight the importance of social status as a factor influencing both sperm and seminal fluid investment strategies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen L. Bayram
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Catarina Franco
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Philip Brownridge
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Amy J. Claydon
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Natalie Koch
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Jane L. Hurst
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Robert J. Beynon
- Centre for Proteome Research, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Paula Stockley
- Mammalian Behaviour and Evolution Group, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Chester High Road, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wong W, Kim A, Monaghan JR, Seifert AW, Maden M, Crane JD. Spiny mice (Acomys) exhibit attenuated hallmarks of aging and rapid cell turnover after UV exposure in the skin epidermis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241617. [PMID: 33125436 PMCID: PMC7598470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of long-lived and regenerative animal models has revealed diverse protective responses to stressors such as aging and tissue injury. Spiny mice (Acomys) are a unique mammalian model of skin wound regeneration, but their response to other types of physiological skin damage has not been investigated. In this study, we examine how spiny mouse skin responds to acute UVB damage or chronological aging compared to non-regenerative C57Bl/6 mice (M. musculus). We find that, compared to M. musculus, the skin epidermis in A. cahirinus experiences a similar UVB-induced increase in basal cell proliferation but exhibits increased epidermal turnover. Notably, A. cahirinus uniquely form a suprabasal layer co-expressing Keratin 14 and Keratin 10 after UVB exposure concomitant with reduced epidermal inflammatory signaling and reduced markers of DNA damage. In the context of aging, old M. musculus animals exhibit typical hallmarks including epidermal thinning, increased inflammatory signaling and senescence. However, these age-related changes are absent in old A. cahirinus skin. Overall, we find that A. cahirinus have evolved novel responses to skin damage that reveals new aspects of its regenerative phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Wong
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Austin Kim
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - James R. Monaghan
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ashley W. Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Malcolm Maden
- UF Genetics Institute & Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Justin D. Crane
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Maekawa T, Ohara K, Zhang Y, Fukutomi M, Matsumoto S, Matsumura K, Shidara H, Yamazaki SJ, Fujisawa R, Ide K, Nagaya N, Yamazaki K, Koike S, Miyatake T, Kimura KD, Ogawa H, Takahashi S, Yoda K. Deep learning-assisted comparative analysis of animal trajectories with DeepHL. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5316. [PMID: 33082335 PMCID: PMC7576204 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19105-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A comparative analysis of animal behavior (e.g., male vs. female groups) has been widely used to elucidate behavior specific to one group since pre-Darwinian times. However, big data generated by new sensing technologies, e.g., GPS, makes it difficult for them to contrast group differences manually. This study introduces DeepHL, a deep learning-assisted platform for the comparative analysis of animal movement data, i.e., trajectories. This software uses a deep neural network based on an attention mechanism to automatically detect segments in trajectories that are characteristic of one group. It then highlights these segments in visualized trajectories, enabling biologists to focus on these segments, and helps them reveal the underlying meaning of the highlighted segments to facilitate formulating new hypotheses. We tested the platform on a variety of trajectories of worms, insects, mice, bears, and seabirds across a scale from millimeters to hundreds of kilometers, revealing new movement features of these animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Maekawa
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
| | - Kazuya Ohara
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yizhe Zhang
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Sakiko Matsumoto
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kentarou Matsumura
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hisashi Shidara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | | | - Ryusuke Fujisawa
- Graduate School of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Japan
| | - Kaoru Ide
- Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan
| | - Naohisa Nagaya
- Department of Intelligent Systems, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Department of Forest Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takahisa Miyatake
- Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Koutarou D Kimura
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hiroto Ogawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Susumu Takahashi
- Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan
| | - Ken Yoda
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Schultz MB, Kane AE, Mitchell SJ, MacArthur MR, Warner E, Vogel DS, Mitchell JR, Howlett SE, Bonkowski MS, Sinclair DA. Age and life expectancy clocks based on machine learning analysis of mouse frailty. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4618. [PMID: 32934233 PMCID: PMC7492249 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18446-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of genes and interventions that slow or reverse aging is hampered by the lack of non-invasive metrics that can predict the life expectancy of pre-clinical models. Frailty Indices (FIs) in mice are composite measures of health that are cost-effective and non-invasive, but whether they can accurately predict health and lifespan is not known. Here, mouse FIs are scored longitudinally until death and machine learning is employed to develop two clocks. A random forest regression is trained on FI components for chronological age to generate the FRIGHT (Frailty Inferred Geriatric Health Timeline) clock, a strong predictor of chronological age. A second model is trained on remaining lifespan to generate the AFRAID (Analysis of Frailty and Death) clock, which accurately predicts life expectancy and the efficacy of a lifespan-extending intervention up to a year in advance. Adoption of these clocks should accelerate the identification of longevity genes and aging interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael B Schultz
- Blavatnik Institute, Department of Genetics, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alice E Kane
- Blavatnik Institute, Department of Genetics, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sarah J Mitchell
- Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael R MacArthur
- Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elisa Warner
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David S Vogel
- Voloridge Investment Management, LLC and VoLo Foundation, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - James R Mitchell
- Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan E Howlett
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine (Geriatric Medicine), Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Michael S Bonkowski
- Blavatnik Institute, Department of Genetics, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Dermatology, The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - David A Sinclair
- Blavatnik Institute, Department of Genetics, Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
North HL, Caminade P, Severac D, Belkhir K, Smadja CM. The role of copy-number variation in the reinforcement of sexual isolation between the two European subspecies of the house mouse. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190540. [PMID: 32654648 PMCID: PMC7423270 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Reinforcement has the potential to generate strong reproductive isolation through the evolution of barrier traits as a response to selection against maladaptive hybridization, but the genetic changes associated with this process remain largely unexplored. Building upon the increasing evidence for a role of structural variants in adaptation and speciation, we addressed the role of copy-number variation in the reinforcement of sexual isolation evidenced between the two European subspecies of the house mouse. We characterized copy-number divergence between populations of Mus musculus musculus that display assortative mate choice, and those that do not, using whole-genome resequencing data. Updating methods to detect deletions and tandem duplications (collectively: copy-number variants, CNVs) in Pool-Seq data, we developed an analytical pipeline dedicated to identifying genomic regions showing the expected pattern of copy-number displacement under a reinforcement scenario. This strategy allowed us to detect 1824 deletions and seven tandem duplications that showed extreme differences in frequency between behavioural classes across replicate comparisons. A subset of 480 deletions and four tandem duplications were specifically associated with the derived trait of assortative mate choice. These 'Choosiness-associated' CNVs occur in hundreds of genes. Consistent with our hypothesis, such genes included olfactory receptors potentially involved in the olfactory-based assortative mate choice in this system as well as one gene, Sp110, that is known to show patterns of differential expression between behavioural classes in an organ used in mate choice-the vomeronasal organ. These results demonstrate that fine-scale structural changes are common and highly variable within species, despite being under-studied, and may be important targets of reinforcing selection in this system and others. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards the completion of speciation: the evolution of reproductive isolation beyond the first barriers'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry L. North
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier), Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Caminade
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier), Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Dany Severac
- MGX-Montpellier GenomiX, c/o Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, 141 rue de la cardonille, 34094 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Khalid Belkhir
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier), Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Carole M. Smadja
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (UMR 5554 CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier), Université de Montpellier, Campus Triolet, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Abstract
Mammalian olfactory receptor neurons in the nasal cavity are stimulated by odorants carried by the inhaled air and their activation is therefore tied to and driven by the breathing or sniffing frequency. Sniffing frequency can be deliberately modulated to alter how odorants stimulate olfactory receptor neurons, giving the animal control over the frequency of odorant exposure to potentially aid odorant detection and discrimination. We monitored sniffing behaviors and odorant discrimination ability of freely-moving mice while they sampled either decreasing concentrations of target odorants or sampled a fixed target odorant concentration in the presence of a background of increasing odorant concentrations, using a Go-NoGo behavioral paradigm. This allowed us to ask how mice alter their odorant sampling duration and sampling (sniffing) frequency depending on the demands of the task and its difficulty. Mice showed an anticipatory increase in sniffing rate prior to odorant exposure and chose to sample for longer durations when exposed to odorants as compared to the solvent control odorant. Similarly, mice also took more odorant sampling sniffs when exposed to target odorants compared to the solvent control odorant. In general, odorant sampling strategies became more similar the more difficult the task was, e.g. the lower the target odorant concentration or the lower the target odorant contrast relative to the background odorant, suggesting that sniffing patterns are not preset, but are dynamically modulated by the particular task and its difficulty.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Reisert
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Glen J. Golden
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Michele Dibattista
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, University of Bari “A. Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Alan Gelperin
- Department of Neuroscience, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Menendez L, Trecek T, Gopalakrishnan S, Tao L, Markowitz AL, Yu HV, Wang X, Llamas J, Huang C, Lee J, Kalluri R, Ichida J, Segil N. Generation of inner ear hair cells by direct lineage conversion of primary somatic cells. eLife 2020; 9:e55249. [PMID: 32602462 PMCID: PMC7326493 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanoreceptive sensory hair cells in the inner ear are selectively vulnerable to numerous genetic and environmental insults. In mammals, hair cells lack regenerative capacity, and their death leads to permanent hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. Their paucity and inaccessibility has limited the search for otoprotective and regenerative strategies. Growing hair cells in vitro would provide a route to overcome this experimental bottleneck. We report a combination of four transcription factors (Six1, Atoh1, Pou4f3, and Gfi1) that can convert mouse embryonic fibroblasts, adult tail-tip fibroblasts and postnatal supporting cells into induced hair cell-like cells (iHCs). iHCs exhibit hair cell-like morphology, transcriptomic and epigenetic profiles, electrophysiological properties, mechanosensory channel expression, and vulnerability to ototoxin in a high-content phenotypic screening system. Thus, direct reprogramming provides a platform to identify causes and treatments for hair cell loss, and may help identify future gene therapy approaches for restoring hearing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louise Menendez
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Talon Trecek
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Suhasni Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Litao Tao
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Alexander L Markowitz
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Haoze V Yu
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Xizi Wang
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Juan Llamas
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | | | - James Lee
- DRVision TechnologiesBellevueUnited States
| | - Radha Kalluri
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Justin Ichida
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Neil Segil
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
- USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Firman RC. Exposure to high male density causes maternal stress and female-biased sex ratios in a mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192909. [PMID: 32370673 PMCID: PMC7282911 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A shift from the traditional perspective that maternal stress is invariably costly has instigated recent interest into its adaptive role in offspring sex allocation. Stress generated by social instability has been linked to offspring sex ratio biases that favour the production of female offspring, which converges with the theoretical prediction that mothers in the poor condition are better off investing in daughters rather than sons. However, previous research has failed to disentangle two different processes: the passive consequence of maternal stress on sex-specific mortality and the adaptive effect of maternal stress at the time of conception. Here, I show that exposure to high male density social conditions leads to elevated stress hormone levels and female-biased in utero offspring sex ratios in house mice (Mus musculus domesticus), and identify that sex-specific offspring production-not sex-specific mortality-is the mechanism accounting for these sex ratio skews. This outcome reflects the optimal fitness scenario for mothers in a male-dominated environment: the production of daughters, who are guaranteed high mate availability, minimizes male-male competition for their sons. Overall, this study supports the idea that maternal stress has the potential to be adaptive and advances our understanding of how exposure to different social conditions can influence sex allocation in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renée C. Firman
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Carpenter KC, Thurston SE, Hoenerhoff MJ, Lofgren JL. Effects of Trio and Pair Breeding of Mice on Environmental Parameters and Nasal Pathology and Their Implications for Cage Change Frequency. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2020; 59:288-297. [PMID: 32111266 PMCID: PMC7210739 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-19-000074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
According to the Guide, cage change frequencies must be considered when cage density requirements are exceeded. We monitored ammonia, carbon dioxide, cage wetness, health status, and breeding parameters of trio and pair breeding cages containing CD1 mice in ventilated and static microisolation caging (4 cages per condition) daily for approximately 6 wk. Minimum cage change frequencies for each condition were determined on the basis of performance data. At 3 d after cage change, static trio and pair cages had average ammonia levels of 74 and 38 ppm. Ventilated cages remained below the 25ppm threshold reported to be potentially deleterious for mice until at least day 7 after cage change. By 7 d after cage change, ammonia levels had risen to an average of 100 ppm and 64 ppm in static trio and pair cages and to 34 ppm and 20 ppm in ventilated trio and pair cages, respectively. Ammonia levels in ventilated cages continued to rise slowly through day 14 after cage change. CO₂ levels exceeded 5000 ppm in all groups at 2 d after cage change. Pair breeders in ventilated cages took the longest-10 to 14 d-to reach cage wetness threshold scores. On day 7, pups in trio static cages were noted to have decreased and squinted eyes, whereas in ventilated cages containing trios and pairs, these clinical signs were rare to absent. Histologically, there was an increasing incidence and severity of nasal lesions in weanlings with increasing housing density and decreasing ventilation, consistent with nasal epithelial toxicity. Given these parameters, we concluded that under the current husbandry conditions, it may be necessary to change breeders in static cages more frequently than every 7 d. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the effects of more frequent cage changes on reproductive parameters, given that cage changing is stressful for mice and affects breeding results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey C Carpenter
- Refinement and Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (REAL), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Sarah E Thurston
- Refinement and Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (REAL), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Mark J Hoenerhoff
- In Vivo Animal Core, Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jennifer L Lofgren
- Refinement and Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (REAL), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan;,
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Andresen N, Wöllhaf M, Hohlbaum K, Lewejohann L, Hellwich O, Thöne-Reineke C, Belik V. Towards a fully automated surveillance of well-being status in laboratory mice using deep learning: Starting with facial expression analysis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228059. [PMID: 32294094 PMCID: PMC7159220 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Assessing the well-being of an animal is hindered by the limitations of efficient communication between humans and animals. Instead of direct communication, a variety of parameters are employed to evaluate the well-being of an animal. Especially in the field of biomedical research, scientifically sound tools to assess pain, suffering, and distress for experimental animals are highly demanded due to ethical and legal reasons. For mice, the most commonly used laboratory animals, a valuable tool is the Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS), a coding system for facial expressions of pain in mice. We aim to develop a fully automated system for the surveillance of post-surgical and post-anesthetic effects in mice. Our work introduces a semi-automated pipeline as a first step towards this goal. A new data set of images of black-furred laboratory mice that were moving freely is used and provided. Images were obtained after anesthesia (with isoflurane or ketamine/xylazine combination) and surgery (castration). We deploy two pre-trained state of the art deep convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures (ResNet50 and InceptionV3) and compare to a third CNN architecture without pre-training. Depending on the particular treatment, we achieve an accuracy of up to 99% for the recognition of the absence or presence of post-surgical and/or post-anesthetic effects on the facial expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niek Andresen
- Department of Computer Vision & Remote Sensing, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuel Wöllhaf
- Department of Computer Vision & Remote Sensing, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katharina Hohlbaum
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior, and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (KH); (VB)
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior, and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Olaf Hellwich
- Department of Computer Vision & Remote Sensing, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior, and Laboratory Animal Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vitaly Belik
- System Modeling Group, Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (KH); (VB)
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Grasso R, Pellitteri R, Caravella SA, Musumeci F, Raciti G, Scordino A, Sposito G, Triglia A, Campisi A. Dynamic changes in cytoskeleton proteins of olfactory ensheathing cells induced by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb217190. [PMID: 32041804 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.217190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Several evidences have suggested the ability of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields to influence biological systems, even if the action mechanisms are not well understood. There are few data on the effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on self-renewal of neural progenitor cells. A particular glial type that shows characteristics of stem cells is olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Herein, we assessed the non-thermal effects induced on OECs through radiofrequency electromagnetic fields changing the envelope of the electromagnetic wave. Primary OEC cultures were exposed to continuous or amplitude-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic fields, in the far-field condition and at different exposure times (10, 15, 20 min). The expression of OEC markers (S-100 and nestin), cytoskeletal proteins (GFAP and vimentin), apoptotic pathway activation by caspase-3 cleavage and cell viability were evaluated. Our results highlight that 20 min of exposure to continuous or amplitude-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic fields induced a different and significant decrease in cell viability. In addition, according to the electromagnetic field waveform, diverse dynamic changes in the expression of the analysed markers in OECs and activation of the apoptotic pathway were observed. The data suggest that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields might play different and important roles in the self-renewal of OEC stem cells, which are involved in nervous system repair.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria Grasso
- Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
- Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Rosalia Pellitteri
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, Italian National Research Council, 95126 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Musumeci
- Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
- Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Raciti
- Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Agata Scordino
- Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
- Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giovanni Sposito
- Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Triglia
- Department of Physics and Astronomy 'Ettore Majorana', University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Agata Campisi
- Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Warren MR, Clein RS, Spurrier MS, Roth ED, Neunuebel JP. Ultrashort-range, high-frequency communication by female mice shapes social interactions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2637. [PMID: 32060312 PMCID: PMC7021676 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals engage in complex social encounters that influence social groups and resource allocation. During these encounters, acoustic signals, used at both short and long ranges, play pivotal roles in regulating the behavior of conspecifics. Mice, for instance, emit ultrasonic vocalizations, signals above the range of human hearing, during close-range social interactions. How these signals shape behavior, however, is unknown due to the difficulty in discerning which mouse in a group is vocalizing. To overcome this impediment, we used an eight-channel microphone array system to determine which mouse emitted individual vocal signals during 30 minutes of unrestrained social interaction between a female and a single male or female conspecific. Females modulated both the timing and context of vocal emission based upon their social partner. Compared to opposite-sex pairings, females in same-sex pairs vocalized when closer to a social partner and later in the 30 minutes of social engagement. Remarkably, we found that female mice exhibited no immediate changes in acceleration (movement) to male-emitted vocal signals. Both males and females, in contrast, modulated their behavior following female-emitted vocal signals in a context-dependent manner. Thus, our results suggest female vocal signals function as a means of ultrashort-range communication that shapes mouse social behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M R Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - R S Clein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - M S Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - E D Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - J P Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Serna E, Mastaloudis A, Martorell P, Wood SM, Hester SN, Bartlett M, Prolla TA, Viña J. A Novel Micronutrient Blend Mimics Calorie Restriction Transcriptomics in Multiple Tissues of Mice and Increases Lifespan and Mobility in C. elegans. Nutrients 2020; 12:nu12020486. [PMID: 32075050 PMCID: PMC7071149 DOI: 10.3390/nu12020486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: We previously described a novel micronutrient blend that behaves like a putative calorie restriction mimetic. The aim of this paper was to analyze the beneficial effects of our micronutrient blend in mice and C. elegans, and compare them with calorie restriction. Methods: Whole transcriptomic analysis was performed in the brain cortex, skeletal muscle and heart in three groups of mice: old controls (30 months), old + calorie restriction and old + novel micronutrient blend. Longevity and vitality were tested in C. elegans. Results: The micronutrient blend elicited transcriptomic changes in a manner similar to those in the calorie-restricted group and different from those in the control group. Subgroup analysis revealed that nuclear hormone receptor, proteasome complex and angiotensinogen genes, all of which are known to be directly related to aging, were the most affected. Furthermore, a functional analysis in C. elegans was used. We found that feeding C. elegans the micronutrient blend increased longevity as well as vitality. Conclusions: We describe a micronutrient supplement that causes similar changes (transcriptomic and promoting longevity and vitality) as a calorie restriction in mice and C. elegans, respectively, but further studies are required to confirm these effects in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Serna
- Freshage Research Group-Dept. Physiology-University of Valencia, CIBERFES, INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Angela Mastaloudis
- Pharmanex Research, NSE Products, Inc., Provo, UT 84601, USA; (A.M.); (S.M.W.); (S.N.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Patricia Martorell
- Cell Biology Laboratory/ADM Nutrition/Biopolis SL/Archer Daniels Midland, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain;
| | - Steven M. Wood
- Pharmanex Research, NSE Products, Inc., Provo, UT 84601, USA; (A.M.); (S.M.W.); (S.N.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Shelly N. Hester
- Pharmanex Research, NSE Products, Inc., Provo, UT 84601, USA; (A.M.); (S.M.W.); (S.N.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Mark Bartlett
- Pharmanex Research, NSE Products, Inc., Provo, UT 84601, USA; (A.M.); (S.M.W.); (S.N.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Tomas A. Prolla
- LifeGen Technologies LLC, Madison, WI 53719, USA;
- Departments of Genetics and Medical Genetics; University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jose Viña
- Freshage Research Group-Dept. Physiology-University of Valencia, CIBERFES, INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-963864650
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Cooper AN, Cunningham CB, Morris JS, Ruff JS, Potts WK, Carrier DR. Musculoskeletal mass and shape are correlated with competitive ability in male house mice ( Mus musculus). J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb213389. [PMID: 31915200 PMCID: PMC7033737 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.213389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Intense physical competition between males for mating opportunities is widespread among mammals. In such agonistic encounters, males with combinations of morphological, physiological and behavioral characters that allow them to dominate an opponent have greater fitness. However, the specific physical traits associated with competitive ability are poorly understood. Larger body size is often correlated with fitness in mammals. Interestingly, fitness is maximized at intermediate body masses in male house mice (Mus musculus), a species with a polygynous mating system in which males compete physically for access to reproductive resources. Here, we used competition trials in semi-natural, mixed-sex population enclosures to directly measure competitive ability in male house mice based on control of a preferred nesting site. We tested the hypothesis that the musculoskeletal systems of male mice demonstrating high competitive ability are more specialized for competition by comparing the masses of 10 major muscle groups and eight bones as well as a set of 12 skeletal shape indices associated with anatomical specialization for fighting performance in a set of nine winners and 20 losers. Winning males possessed several traits hypothesized to enhance performance in male-male contests: relatively greater mass in several muscle groups and bones of the forelimb and hindlimb and larger scapular surface area. Unexpectedly, no measurements of the head and neck differed significantly between winners and losers. These results identify musculoskeletal traits associated with competitive ability in male house mice and suggest that our current understanding of mammalian fighting performance is incomplete and more nuanced than previously considered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N Cooper
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | | | - Jeremy S Morris
- Department of Biology, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA
| | - James S Ruff
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Wayne K Potts
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - David R Carrier
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Rogalla MM, Rauser I, Schulze K, Osterhagen L, Hildebrandt KJ. Mice tune out not in: violation of prediction drives auditory saliency. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192001. [PMID: 31992168 PMCID: PMC7015331 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful navigation in complex acoustic scenes requires focusing on relevant sounds while ignoring irrelevant distractors. It has been argued that the ability to track stimulus statistics and generate predictions supports the choice of what to attend and what to ignore. However, the role of these predictions about future auditory events in drafting decisions remains elusive. While most psychophysical studies in humans indicate that expected stimuli are more easily detected, most work studying physiological auditory processing in animals highlights the detection of unexpected, surprising stimuli. Here, we tested whether in the mouse, high target probability results in enhanced detectability or whether detection is biased towards low-probability deviants using an auditory detection task. We implemented a probabilistic choice model to investigate whether a possible dependence on stimulus statistics arises from short-term serial correlations or from integration over longer periods. Our results demonstrate that target detectability in mice decreases with increasing probability, contrary to humans. We suggest that mice indeed track probability over a timescale of at least several minutes but do not use this information in the same way as humans do: instead of maximizing reward by focusing on high-probability targets, the saliency of a target is determined by surprise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meike M. Rogalla
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Auditory Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
| | - Inga Rauser
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Auditory Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
| | - Karsten Schulze
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Auditory Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
| | - Lasse Osterhagen
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Auditory Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
| | - K. Jannis Hildebrandt
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Auditory Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence, Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony 26129, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Abstract
Laboratory mice have become the dominant animal model for hearing research. The mouse cochlea operates according to standard "mammalian" principles, uses the same cochlear cell types, and exhibits the same types of injury as found in other mammals. The typical mouse lifespan is less than 3 years, yet the age-associated pathologies that may be found are quite similar to longer-lived mammals. All Schuknecht's types of presbycusis have been identified in existing mouse lines, some favoring hair cell loss while others favor strial degeneration. Although noise exposure generally affects the mouse cochlea in a manner similar to other mammals, mice appear more prone to permanent alterations to hair cells or the organ of Corti than to hair cell loss. Therapeutic compounds may be applied systemically or locally through the tympanic membrane or onto (or through) the round window membrane. The thinness of the mouse cochlear capsule and annular ligament may promote drug entry from the middle ear, although an extremely active middle ear lining may quickly remove most drugs. Preclinical testing of any therapeutic will always require tests in multiple animal models. Mice constitute one model providing supporting evidence for any therapeutic, while genetically engineered mice can test hypotheses about mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin K Ohlemiller
- Department of Otolaryngology, Central Institute for the Deaf at Washington University School of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Fay and Carl Simons Center for Hearing and Deafness, Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Sigl-Glöckner J, Maier E, Takahashi N, Sachdev R, Larkum M, Brecht M. Effects of Sexual Experience and Puberty on Mouse Genital Cortex revealed by Chronic Imaging. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3588-3599.e4. [PMID: 31630949 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The topographic map in layer 4 of somatosensory cortex is usually specified early postnatally and stable thereafter. Genital cortex, however, undergoes a sex-hormone- and sexual-touch-dependent pubertal expansion. Here, we image pubertal development of genital cortex in Scnn1a-Tg3-Cre mice, where transgene expression has been shown to be restricted to layer 4 neurons with primary sensory cortex identity. Interestingly, during puberty, the number of Scnn1a+ neurons roughly doubled within genital cortex. The increase of Scnn1a+ neurons was gradual and rapidly advanced by initial sexual experience. Neurons that gained Scnn1a expression comprised stellate and pyramidal neurons in layer 4. Unlike during neonatal development, pyramids did not retract their apical dendrites during puberty. Calcium imaging revealed stronger genital-touch responses in Scnn1a+ neurons in males versus females and a developmental increase in responsiveness in females. The first sexual interaction is a unique physical experience that often creates long-lasting memories. We suggest such experience uniquely alters somatosensory body maps.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Sigl-Glöckner
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eduard Maier
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Naoya Takahashi
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10437 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Sachdev
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10437 Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew Larkum
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10437 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Brecht
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 13, Haus 6, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Manser A, Cornell SJ, Sutter A, Blondel DV, Serr M, Godwin J, Price TAR. Controlling invasive rodents via synthetic gene drive and the role of polyandry. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190852. [PMID: 31431159 PMCID: PMC6732378 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
House mice are a major ecosystem pest, particularly threatening island ecosystems as a non-native invasive species. Rapid advances in synthetic biology offer new avenues to control pest species for biodiversity conservation. Recently, a synthetic sperm-killing gene drive construct called t-Sry has been proposed as a means to eradicate target mouse populations owing to a lack of females. A factor that has received little attention in the discussion surrounding such drive applications is polyandry. Previous research has demonstrated that sperm-killing drivers are extremely damaging to a male's sperm competitive ability. Here, we examine the importance of this effect on the t-Sry system using a theoretical model. We find that polyandry substantially hampers the spread of t-Sry such that release efforts have to be increased three- to sixfold for successful eradication. We discuss the implications of our finding for potential pest control programmes, the risk of drive spread beyond the target population, and the emergence of drive resistance. Our work highlights that a solid understanding of the forces that determine drive dynamics in a natural setting is key for successful drive application, and that exploring the natural diversity of gene drives may inform effective gene drive design.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andri Manser
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
| | - Stephen J. Cornell
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andreas Sutter
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Dimitri V. Blondel
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - Megan Serr
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - John Godwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA
| | - Tom A. R. Price
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Biosciences Building, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Adduci LB, León VA, Busch M, Fraschina J. Effects of different odours on the reproductive success of Mus musculus as an alternative method of control. Pest Manag Sci 2019; 75:1887-1893. [PMID: 30680912 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a cosmopolitan rodent that has become adapted to living in close association with humans and is considered a serious pest because it poses a risk to human health, and causes economic losses due to food and crop consumption and damage to buildings. Its control in livestock farms is achieved mainly through the application of anticoagulant rodenticides, but the effect of these compounds is limited due to the presence of resistant individuals and aversive behaviours. A potential alternative method is the use of chemical signals to reduce rodent reproductive success. In this study, we assessed the effects of odours from an unfamiliar male, 17β-oestradiol, overcrowding, cat urine and 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) on the reproductive success of laboratory Mus musculus females. RESULTS According to the generalized linear mixed models, cat urine odour increased the proportion of abortions per female, unfamiliar male odour decreased the mean number of offspring born per female, and TMT had an overall negative effect on mean offspring production at birth and at weaning. The other odours had no significant effects on reproductive success. CONCLUSIONS TMT seems to be the best candidate for population control because it caused a decrease in the mean number of offspring born and the mean number of live offspring at weaning. TMT also has the advantage of being available in commercial forms. To be useful for rodent management in field conditions, these results should be confirmed using wild house mice females. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luciana B Adduci
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanina A León
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Busch
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jimena Fraschina
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), UBA-CONICET, Cdad. Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Svenson KL, Paigen B. Recommended housing densities for research mice: filling the gap in data-driven alternatives. FASEB J 2019; 33:3097-3111. [PMID: 30521372 PMCID: PMC6404583 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201801972r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Space recommendations for mice made in the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals have not changed since 1972, despite important improvements in husbandry and caging practices. The 1996 version of the Guide put forth a challenge to investigators to produce new data evaluating the effects of space allocation on the well-being of mice. In this review, we summarize many studies published in response to this challenge. We distinguish between studies using ventilated or nonventilated caging systems and those evaluating reproductive performance or general well-being of adult mice. We discuss how these studies might affect current housing density considerations in both production and research settings and consider gaps in mouse housing density research. Additionally, we discuss reliable methods used to monitor and quantify general well-being of research mice. Collectively, this large body of new data suggests that husbandry practices dictating optimal breeding schemes and space allocation per mouse can be reconsidered. Specifically, these data demonstrate that prewean culling of litters has no benefit, trio breeding is an effective production strategy without adversely affecting pup survival and well-being, and housing of adult mice at densities of up to twice current Guide recommendations does not compromise well-being for most strains.-Svenson, K. L., Paigen, B. Recommended housing densities for research mice: filling the gap in data-driven alternatives.
Collapse
|
41
|
Abstract
Early death of mouse pups is a commonly known problem in breeding mice colonies, which is still often regarded as 'normal' or is even overlooked due to the counting procedures applied. As reduced breeding performance probably indicates reduced well-being, this seems to be an underestimated welfare issue in laboratory mouse breeding. The present study compares the influence of three different forms of enrichment in breeding cages on infant survival rate and development of C57BL/6J mice. Our data reveal that lack of enrichment results in greater preweaning pup mortality, reduced weight and delayed development. Changing the environmental conditions after birth cannot prevent litter loss but improves the development of pups born in impoverished environments. Overall, our results underline the importance of early counting of mice for optimizing refinement strategies to ensure well-being and breeding success.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte S Leidinger
- 1 Translational Animal Research Centre, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
| | - Christa Thöne-Reineke
- 2 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Baumgart
- 1 Translational Animal Research Centre, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
| | - Jan Baumgart
- 1 Translational Animal Research Centre, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Di G, Gu X, Lin Q, Wu S, Kim HB. A comparative study on effects of static electric field and power frequency electric field on hematology in mice. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2018; 166:109-115. [PMID: 30253285 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.09.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
With the development of the ultra high voltage transmission technology, the voltage level of transmission line rised. Accordingly, the strength of electric field in the vicinity of transmission line increased, thus possible health effects from electric field have caused many public attentions. In this study, in order to compare effects induced by static electric field (SEF) and power frequency electric field (PFEF) on immune function, Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were exposed to 35 kV/m SEF (0 Hz) and PFEF (50 Hz),respectively. Several indicators of white blood cell, red blood cell as well as hemoglobin in peripheral blood were tested after exposure of 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. There was no significant difference in any indicators under SEF exposure of 35 kV/m for 7d, 14d and 21d between experimental group and control group. Under the PFEF exposure of 35 kV/m, white blood cell count significantly reduced after exposure of 7d, 14d and 21d. Meanwhile, red blood cell count significantly reduced after exposure of 7d, and returned to normal level through the compensatory response of organism after exposure of 14d and 21d. Hemoglobin concentration significantly decreased only after exposure of 21d. Based on tested results of hematological indicators, SEF exposure of 35 kV/m did not affect immune functions in mice but PFEF exposure of 35 kV/m could cause a decline of immune function. This difference of effects from SEF and PFEF on immune function was possibly caused by the difference of the degree of molecular polarization and ion migration in organism under exposure of two kinds of electric fields.
Collapse
Key Words
- AC, alternating current
- BAS%, proportion of basophil
- CG, control group
- DC, direct current
- EG, experimental group
- EO%, proportion of eosinophil
- HGB, hemoglobin concentration
- ICNIRP, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
- ICR, Institute of Cancer Research
- IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Immune function
- LYM%, proportion of lymphocyte
- MO%, proportion of monocyte
- Mean±SD, mean value ± standard deviation
- NE%, proportion of neutrophil
- PFEF, power frequency electric field
- Power frequency electric field
- RBC, red blood cell count
- SEF, static electric field
- Static electric field
- UHV, ultra high voltage
- Ultra-high-voltage transmission
- WBC, white blood cell count
- White blood cell
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guoqing Di
- Institute of Environmental Process, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
| | - Xiaoyu Gu
- Institute of Environmental Process, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| | - Qinhao Lin
- Institute of Environmental Process, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| | - Sixia Wu
- Institute of Environmental Process, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| | - Hak Bong Kim
- Institute of Environmental Process, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Turbill C, Stojanovski L. Torpor reduces predation risk by compensating for the energetic cost of antipredator foraging behaviours. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20182370. [PMID: 30963890 PMCID: PMC6304060 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Foraging activity is needed for energy intake but increases the risk of predation, and antipredator behavioural responses, such as reduced activity, generally reduce energy intake. Hence, the mortality and indirect effects of predation risk are dependent on the energy requirements of prey. Torpor, a controlled reduction in resting metabolism and body temperature, is a common energy-saving mechanism of small mammals that enhances their resistance to starvation. Here we test the hypothesis that torpor could also reduce predation risk by compensating for the energetic cost of antipredator behaviours. We measured the foraging behaviour and body temperature of house mice in response to manipulation of perceived predation risk by adjusting levels of ground cover and starvation risk by 24 h food withdrawal every third day. We found that a voluntary reduction in daily food intake in response to lower cover (high predation risk) was matched by the extent of a daily reduction in body temperature. Our study provides the first experimental evidence of a close link between energy-saving torpor responses to starvation risk and behavioural responses to perceived predation risk. By reducing the risk of starvation, torpor can facilitate stronger antipredator behaviours. These results highlight the interplay between the capacity for reducing metabolic energy expenditure, optimal decisions about foraging behaviour and the life-history ecology of prey.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Turbill
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Meyer G, Lieber RL. Muscle fibers bear a larger fraction of passive muscle tension in frogs compared with mice. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb182089. [PMID: 30237238 PMCID: PMC6262763 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.182089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Differences in passive muscle mechanical properties between amphibians and mammals have led to differing hypotheses on the functional role of titin in skeletal muscle. Early studies of frog muscle clearly demonstrated intracellular load bearing by titin, but more recent structural and biological studies in mice have shown that titin may serve other functions. Here, we present biomechanical studies of isolated frog and mouse fibers, and fiber bundles to compare the relative importance of intracellular versus extracellular load bearing in these species. Mouse bundles exhibited increased modulus compared with fibers on the descending limb of the length-tension curve, reaching a 2.4-fold elevation at the longest sarcomere lengths. By contrast, frog fibers and bundles had approximately the same modulus at all sarcomere lengths tested. These findings suggest that in the mouse, both muscle fibers and the ECM are involved in bearing whole muscle passive tension, which is distinct from the load bearing process in frog muscle, where titin bears the majority of whole muscle passive tension.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen Meyer
- Program in Physical Therapy, and Departments of Neurology, Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Richard L Lieber
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Runge JN, Lindholm AK. Carrying a selfish genetic element predicts increased migration propensity in free-living wild house mice. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181333. [PMID: 30282651 PMCID: PMC6191700 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Life is built on cooperation between genes, which makes it vulnerable to parasitism. Selfish genetic elements that exploit this cooperation can achieve large fitness gains by increasing their transmission relative to the rest of the genome. This leads to counter-adaptations that generate unique selection pressures on the selfish genetic element. This arms race is similar to host-parasite coevolution, as some multi-host parasites alter the host's behaviour to increase the chance of transmission to the next host. Here, we ask if, similarly to these parasites, a selfish genetic element in house mice, the t haplotype, also manipulates host behaviour, specifically the host's migration propensity. Variants of the t that manipulate migration propensity could increase in fitness in a meta-population. We show that juvenile mice carrying the t haplotype were more likely to emigrate from and were more often found as migrants within a long-term free-living house mouse population. This result may have applied relevance as the t has been proposed as a basis for artificial gene drive systems for use in population control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Runge
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna K Lindholm
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Phifer-Rixey M, Bi K, Ferris KG, Sheehan MJ, Lin D, Mack KL, Keeble SM, Suzuki TA, Good JM, Nachman MW. The genomic basis of environmental adaptation in house mice. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007672. [PMID: 30248095 PMCID: PMC6171964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
House mice (Mus musculus) arrived in the Americas only recently in association with European colonization (~400-600 generations), but have spread rapidly and show evidence of local adaptation. Here, we take advantage of this genetic model system to investigate the genomic basis of environmental adaptation in house mice. First, we documented clinal patterns of phenotypic variation in 50 wild-caught mice from a latitudinal transect in Eastern North America. Next, we found that progeny of mice from different latitudes, raised in a common laboratory environment, displayed differences in a number of complex traits related to fitness. Consistent with Bergmann's rule, mice from higher latitudes were larger and fatter than mice from lower latitudes. They also built bigger nests and differed in aspects of blood chemistry related to metabolism. Then, combining exomic, genomic, and transcriptomic data, we identified specific candidate genes underlying adaptive variation. In particular, we defined a short list of genes with cis-eQTL that were identified as candidates in exomic and genomic analyses, all of which have known ties to phenotypes that vary among the studied populations. Thus, wild mice and the newly developed strains represent a valuable resource for future study of the links between genetic variation, phenotypic variation, and climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Phifer-Rixey
- Department of Biology, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Ke Bi
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Computational Genomics Resource Laboratory, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Kathleen G. Ferris
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Sheehan
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Dana Lin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Katya L. Mack
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Sara M. Keeble
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Taichi A. Suzuki
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Good
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Michael W. Nachman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Ma H, Lee Y, Hayama T, Van Dyken C, Marti-Gutierrez N, Li Y, Ahmed R, Koski A, Kang E, Darby H, Gonmanee T, Park Y, Wolf DP, Jai Kim C, Mitalipov S. Germline and somatic mtDNA mutations in mouse aging. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201304. [PMID: 30040856 PMCID: PMC6057648 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of acquired mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) mutations with aging in somatic cells has been implicated in mitochondrial dysfunction and linked to age-onset diseases in humans. Here, we asked if somatic mtDNA mutations are also associated with aging in the mouse. MtDNA integrity in multiple organs and tissues in young and old (2-34 months) wild type (wt) mice was investigated by whole genome sequencing. Remarkably, no acquired somatic mutations were detected in tested tissues. However, we identified several non-synonymous germline mtDNA variants whose heteroplasmy levels (ratio of normal to mutant mtDNA) increased significantly with aging suggesting clonal expansion of inherited mtDNA mutations. Polg mutator mice, a model for premature aging, exhibited both germline and somatic mtDNA mutations whose numbers and heteroplasmy levels increased significantly with age implicating involvement in premature aging. Our results suggest that, in contrast to humans, acquired somatic mtDNA mutations do not accompany the aging process in wt mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Ma
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Yeonmi Lee
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
- Stem Cell Center, ASAN Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Tomonari Hayama
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Crystal Van Dyken
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Nuria Marti-Gutierrez
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ying Li
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Riffat Ahmed
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Amy Koski
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Eunju Kang
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
- Stem Cell Center, ASAN Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hayley Darby
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Thanasup Gonmanee
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Younjung Park
- Stem Cell Center, ASAN Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Don P. Wolf
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Chong Jai Kim
- Stem Cell Center, ASAN Institute for Life Sciences, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Shoukhrat Mitalipov
- Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Maden M, Brant JO, Rubiano A, Sandoval AGW, Simmons C, Mitchell R, Collin-Hooper H, Jacobson J, Omairi S, Patel K. Perfect chronic skeletal muscle regeneration in adult spiny mice, Acomys cahirinus. Sci Rep 2018; 8:8920. [PMID: 29892004 PMCID: PMC5995887 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27178-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus, is an adult mammal capable of remarkable feats of scar-free tissue regeneration after damage to several organs including the skin and the heart. Here we investigate the regenerative properties of the skeletal muscle of A. cahirinus tibialis anterior in comparison to the lab mouse, Mus musculus. The A. cahirinus TA showed a similar distribution of myosin heavy chain fibre types and a reduced proportion of oxidative fibres compared to M. musculus. There were differences in the matrix components of the TA with regard to collagen VI and the biomechanical properties. A. cahirinus TA regenerated faster with a more rapid induction of embryonic myosin and higher levels of dystrophin than in M. musculus fibres. There were lower levels of inflammation (NF-kB), fibrosis (TGFβ-1, collagens) and higher levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Cxcl12. There was a difference in macrophage profile between the two species. After multiple rounds of muscle regeneration the M. musculus TA failed to regenerate muscle fibres and instead produced a large numbers of adipocytes whereas the A. cahirinus TA regenerated perfectly. This clearly improved regeneration performance can be explained by differing levels of growth factors such as adiponectin between the two species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm Maden
- Department of Biology & UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Florida, USA.
| | - Jason Orr Brant
- Department of Biology & UF Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Florida, USA
| | - Andres Rubiano
- Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, Florida, USA
| | | | - Chelsey Simmons
- Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida, Florida, USA
| | - Robert Mitchell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, England
| | | | - Jason Jacobson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, England
| | - Saleh Omairi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, England
- College of Medicine, Wasit University, Kut, Iraq
| | - Ketan Patel
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, England
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Broin PÓ, Beckert MV, Takahashi T, Izumi T, Ye K, Kang G, Pouso P, Topolski M, Pena JL, Hiroi N. Computational Analysis of Neonatal Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization. Curr Protoc Mouse Biol 2018; 8:e46. [PMID: 29927553 PMCID: PMC6055925 DOI: 10.1002/cpmo.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal vocalization is structurally altered in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our published data showed that pup vocalization, under conditions of maternal separation, contains sequences whose alterations in a genetic mouse model of ASD impair social communication between pups and mothers. We describe details of a method which reveals the statistical structure of call sequences that are functionally critical for optimal maternal care. Entropy analysis determines the degree of non-random call sequencing. A Markov model determines the actual call sequences used by pups. Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) identifies call sequences that differentiate groups and reveals the degrees of individual variability in call sequences between groups. These three sets of analyses can be used to identify the otherwise hidden call structure that is altered in mouse models of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders, including not only autism but also schizophrenia. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pilib Ó Broin
- School of Mathematics, Statistics & Applied Mathematics,
National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael V. Beckert
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Tomohisa Takahashi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Takeshi Izumi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Kenny Ye
- Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert
Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Gina Kang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Patricia Pouso
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Mackenzie Topolski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jose L. Pena
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Noboru Hiroi
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx,
NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are studied in many fields of science. However, various noise and varied USV patterns in observed signals make complete automatic analysis difficult. We improve several methods to reduce noise, detect USV calls and automatically cluster USV calls. After reduction of noise and detection of USV calls, we consider USV calls as functional data and characterize them as USV functions with B-spline basis functions. For discontinuous USV calls, breakpoints in the USV functions are defined using multiple knots in the construction of the B-spline basis functions, and a hierarchical method is used to cluster the USV functions by shape. We finally show the performance of the proposed methods with USV data recorded for laboratory mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Dou
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Shingo Shirahata
- Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sugimoto
- Division of Biology, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
| |
Collapse
|