Female preference for male saliva: implications for sexual isolation of Mus musculus subspecies

We studied the effects of a single genetic change on a complex mammalian behavior using animals congenic for two variants of Abpa, the gene for the alpha subunit of mouse salivary androgen-binding protein (ABP), in two-way preference tests. Females exhibited a preference for investigating salivas of males of their own genetic type of ABP but not for urines of either type of male. This preference behavior is consistent for samples of mice from geographically diverse populations of Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus. These findings provide an explanation for the observation that this gene is evolving under strong selection.     

Structural differences between albumin A and albumin C of the house mouse,Mus musculus

Two albumins, albumin A from C3H mice and albumin C isolated from descendents of the wild mice in which the variant was first uncovered, were found to differ in their electrophoretic properties. Albumin C was shown to bind two more H⁺ ions than albumin A at pH 5.4. Peptide mapping after trypsin digestion revealed that albumin C had three peptides (TP-C1, TP-C2, and TP-C3) which were missing in albumin A. The latter likewise had a peptide (TP-A1) which was not found in albumin C. An amino acid analysis of the variant peptides suggests that TP-A1 had been split into TP-C1 and TP-C2 on digestion with trypsin, because a glutamic acid in TP-A1 was replaced by a lysine. This change would also appropriately alter the electrophoretic properties of albumin C. No obvious counterpart was discovered for TP-C3 of albumin C in albumin A.This work was supported by a grant from the National Research Council of Canada.     

Serum prealbumin in inbred strains of Mus musculus

Separation of blood serum prealbumin from ten strains of inbred mice was accomplished using acrylamide electrophoresis. Nine of these strains demonstrated the same five prealbumin bands; however, the C57BL/6JWg strain showed a sixth band. The use of appropriate crosses of C57BL/6JWg and DBA/2fWg showed this unique band to be the product of a single autosomal dominant gene. We have named the gene for this prealbumin band Pre-1 and have shown a map distance between Pre-1 and b of 2.25 cM. Only one of the five prealbumins present in all strains of mice tested showed nonspecific esterase activity.     

Genetic analysis of the hybridization zone between two subspecies Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus musculus in Bulgaria

The hybrid zone between the two subspecies of mice Mus musculus domesticus and Mus musculus musculus, which has been studied extensively in Denmark, crosses Europe to the Black Sea through the Alps and the Balkans. Two hundred and seventy-nine animals were captured in 22 localities along a transect across the Balkans. The animals were characterized for seven diagnostic nuclear loci by protein electrophoresis and by restriction pattern analysis of their mitochondrial DNA. The nuclear data show a sharp transition between the two subspecies, most of the variations in allele frequencies (from 0.9 to 0.1) occurring within a 36-km section of the transect. The introgression varies from one locus to the other and is more pronounced, in terms of distance, in M. m. musculus territory. Mitochondrial DNA introgression is important but occurs in one direction only, i.e. from M. m. musculus to M. m. domesticus, while a cytoplasmic transfer from M. m. domesticus to M. m. musculus has been reported. A previous study showed that no Y chromosome introgression occurs. The different behaviour of these three types of markers could be due to the interaction between selection against hybrid genomes and meiotic recombination. Objectively, it would appear that the genes that can introgress are neutral or nearly so and have been separated from deleterious genes they were linked to by recombination. This could explain the differential introgression between autosomal loci. The mitochondrial and Y chromosomes undergo no or very little recombination and each is transmitted as a whole. Their degree of introgression is thus indicative of the intensity of selection resulting from the amount of functional differentiation between the two taxa, which seems to be strong for the Y chromosome and weak for mitochondrial DNA. We propose that the asymmetry of nuclear introgression is due to different population structures. As M. m. musculus is relatively less structured, the rapid spreading of introgressed genes would be favoured. Such a scheme, however, can hardly account for the unidirectionality of the mitochondrial flow, which could be due to sex-dependent behaviour.     

Mitochondrial DNA in the hybrid zone between Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus: a comparison of two transects

We studied mtDNA introgression across the contact zone between Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus in two independent transects in the Czech Republic and Bavaria, Germany. A total of 1270 mice from 98 localities in the Czech transect and 456 mice from 41 localities in the Bavarian transect were examined for presence or absence of a Bam HI restriction site in the mt-Nd1 gene. Using this simple mtDNA marker, variants that belonged to the M. m. domesticus lineage (presence of restriction site) could be unequivocally distinguished from those belonging to the M. m. musculus lineage (absence of restriction site). The extent of introgression of mtDNA, three autosomal allozymes and the X chromosome was compared. The introgression of X markers was more limited than was that of the allozymes and mtDNA. In the Czech transect, the centre for the mtDNA cline was shifted about 3.6 km to the west relative to the X chromosome cline, with asymmetric introgression from M. m. musculus to M. m. domesticus . Interestingly, in the Bavarian transect, the centre of the mtDNA cline was shifted about 10.9 km to the east relative to the X chromosome cline, with asymmetric introgression from M. m. domesticus to M. m. musculus, opposite in direction to that observed in the Czech transect.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 84 , 363–378.     

Gene flow of unique sequences between Mus musculus domesticus and Mus spretus

Allelic diversity has been examined from a variety of Mus musculus subspecies and Mus spretus strains by sequencing at a 453-bp unique sequence locus. One M. m. domesticus classic inbred strain, C57BL/KsJ, contained a sequence identical to that in the M. spretus wild-derived inbred strain SEG, and other wild M. spretus isolates. Such a result should have been precluded by the expected divergence between the species unless there has been interspecies gene flow. Examination of C57BL/KsJ for M. spretus-specific repetitive sequences shows that it is neither a mis-identified spretus strain nor a domesticus/spretus hybrid. Thus, in addition to the previously reported presence of small amounts of Mus spretus-specific repetitive DNA in M. m. domesticus, there is a detectable flow of unique sequence between the two species. There was also ancestral polymorphism observed among the spretus alleles. The difficulty of distinguishing ancestral polymorphism from horizontal transfer is discussed. Received: 14 May 1999 / Accepted: 5 November 1999     

Strain differences in amiloride inhibition of NaCl responses in mice,Mus musculus

Summary The effects of lingual treatment with amiloride, an inhibitor of salt taste responses in several mammalian species, on NaCl responses of the chorda tympani nerve were compared between four inbred strains of mouse (BALB/cCrSlc, DBA/2CrSlc, C57BL/6CrSlc and C3H/HeSlc). In C57BL and C3H mice amiloride significantly suppressed responses of the chorda tympani nerve to NaCl at a concentration 0.1 M or more whereas in BALB and DBA mice the drug did not significantly affect the responses to NaCl at any concentration, suggesting a lack of the amiloride-sensitive receptor component for NaCl in the latter two strains.A two-bottle preference test demonstrated that all strains of mouse usually showed no preference for NaCl at any concentration and avoided NaCl at 0.3 M or more, although some differences were observed in that C57BL and C3H mice showed aversive responses to 0.1 and 0.15 M NaCl, whereas BALB and DBA mice were indifferent to these solutions.The results suggest that there exist prominent differences between mouse strains in the amiloride-sensitive component of their salt receptor systems. However, in mice the taste information derived from the amiloride-sensitive receptor component probably has no remarkable effect on behavioral responses to NaCl except for a possible contribution to decreasing aversion thresholds for NaCl by increasing overall taste information about NaCl.     

Genetic differences in alteration of albumin in the house mouse,Mus musculus

Two strains of mice were shown to differ in relative proportion of two major protein bands of liver under acid conditions of electrophoresis. Genetic control was autosomal and by a pair of dominant and recessive genes. The difference was observed only if liver homogenates were extracted by treating with dilute acid and alkali. The two protein bands were identified as albumin on the basis of electrophoretic migration, molecular weight, and immunological response. No differences were found between strains in relative amounts of comparable bands of plasma. However, in studies with extraction of mixtures, liver homogenates of one strain but not another were capable of converting a large proportion of albumin from several sources to a faster-migrating form. It was concluded that the strains differ in a factor in liver capable of causing a secondary modification of the albumin molecule.     

Strain and sex differences in serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in Mus musculus

Normal levels of circulating serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in different inbred strains of mice, as determined by radioimmunoassay, are reported. These strains show different and characteristic values for the mean serum AFP concentration, suggesting genetic control of the serum level of this protein. Furthermore, within each strain a difference in serum levels of the protein is observed between sexes; males have a significantly higher serum AFP concentration.     

The role of salivary androgen-binding protein in reproductive isolation between two subspecies of house mouse: Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus

Previous behavioural studies using inbred lines have suggested that the gene ( Abpa ) for the alpha subunit of salivary androgen-binding protein (ABP) plays a role in prezygotic isolation between house mouse Mus musculus subspecies. We tested this hypothesis in animals from wild allopatric (121 individuals from four samples) and parapatric (320 animals from 15 samples) populations sampled on the Czech–Bavarian transect across the hybrid zone between M. m. domesticus and M. m. musculus . The study did not reveal a consistent statistically significant trend of homosubspecific preferences in individual allopatric and parapatric populations. Nonetheless, the whole pattern of preference was skewed toward homosubspecific preference mostly on the M. m. musculus side of the hybrid zone. The pattern of homosubspecific preferences was stronger for the time spent sniffing than it was for the first choice of the signal (the ratio of homosubspecific vs. heterosubspecific preferences for both sexes was 6 : 2 in allopatric and 21 : 9 in parapatric populations, while the same rates were 4 : 4 and 16 : 14 for the first choice). To the extent that Y-maze tests reflect preference under wild conditions, we suggest that this slight preference may not in itself be sufficient to impede gene flow between the two subspecies and thus act as a reproductive barrier. ABP most probably participates in a complex system of subspecies-specific recognition in the hybrid zone, but the picture is far too complex at this time to allow a conclusive evaluation of the importance of this role.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 84 , 349–361.     

Sex preference and species specificity of rodent (Mus musculus and Microtus arvalis pheromones.

The behavioural response to the sex pheromones in the externally voided urine of field voles (Microtus arvalis) and laboratory mice (CFLP, CBA strains) although specific for species showed no strain specificity. Bladder urine (free of accessory sex-gland secretions) and the preputial glands of CFLP and CBA mice contain sex attractants. Ether extracts made of blood of male CFLP mice attracted CFLP female mice.     

Natural hybridization between 2 sympatric species of mice, Mus musculus domesticus L. and Mus spretus Lataste

Using protein loci and DNA markers, we show by a multilocus genetic analysis that certain populations of the two sympatric mouse species Mus musculus domesticus and Mus spretus show clear signs of partial introgression. Given the sterility of F1 males and the known partial genetic incompatibilities between the genomes of the two species, our finding does not invalidate the biological species complex, but allows to think that very limited genetic exchanges remain possible even long after the divergence of taxa. This may have some consequences on the dynamics of certain kinds of invasive or advantageous DNAs like transposable elements or pathogen resistance genes.     

Multi-phenotype behavioral characterization of inbred strains derived from wild stocks of Mus musculus

Many aspects of mouse behavior have been studied by using only a relatively small sample of available laboratory strains. These laboratory mice were derived from the so-called ``fancy mouse' and in most cases underwent extensive domestication before inbreeding. Thus, the behavioral repertoire of the laboratory mouse may be very different from that exhibited by stocks that have not been deliberately domesticated. Another inherent problem in analyzing mouse behavior is that genetic diversity is limited among currently available strains. In this respect, the use of strains that are derived from a variety of wild mice should provide a means to identifying novel behavioral phenotypes. We have investigated several behavioral phenotypes, using females of a number of mouse strains derived from wild mice of different subspecies, BFM/2, NJL, BLG2, HMI, CAST/Ei, KJR, SWN and MSM; a strain derived from fancy mice, JF1; and two laboratory strains, C57BL/6 and DBA/1. In this report, tests for locomotor activity, light-dark transitions, passive and active avoidance, and nociception were conducted. The results show great diversity of behavioral patterns between strains in contrast to less within-strain variability. We also found that two strains, KJR and SWN, both have good learning ability, whereas BLG2 mice exhibit impairment in both passive and active avoidance learning. Received: 11 January 2000 / Accepted: 27 March 2000     

The mitochondrial genome sequence of Mus terricolor: comparison with Mus musculus domesticus and implications for xenomitochondrial mouse modeling

Knowledge of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence of divergent murine species is critical from both a phylogenetic perspective and in understanding nuclear-mitochondrial interactions, particularly as the latter influences our xenocybrid models of mitochondrial disease. To this end, the sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the murine species Mus terricolor (formerly Mus dunni) is reported and compared with the published sequence for the common laboratory mouse Mus musculus domesticus strain C57BL/6J. These species are of interest because xenomitochondrial cybrid mice were created that harbor M. terricolor mtDNA in a M. m. domesticus nuclear background. Although the total of 1763 nucleotide substitutions represents striking heterogeneity, the majority of these are silent, leading to highly conserved protein sequences with only 159 amino acid differences. Moreover, 58% of these amino acid differences represented conservative substitutions. All of the tRNA genes and rRNA genes have homology of 91% or greater. The control region shows the greatest heterogeneity, as expected, with 85% homology overall. Regions of 100% homology were found for Conserved Sequence Block I, Conserved Sequence Block III and the L-strand origin of replication. Complex I genes showed the greatest degree of difference among protein-coding genes with amino acid homology of 91-97% among the seven mitochondrial genes. Complexes III and IV genes show high homology ranging from 98-100%. From these data, complex I differences appear most critical for the viability of M. m. domesticus: M. terricolor cybrids. Moreover, the sequence information reported here should be useful in identifying critical regions for mitochondrial transfer between species, for furthering the understanding of mitochondrial dynamics and pathology in transmitochondrial organisms, and for the study of Mus genus origins.     

Correlative Interrelations between the Oxygen Consumption Rate, Body Temperature and Activities of the Key Antioxidant Enzymes of Liver of Mus musculus

Using one-, two-, and three-dimensional statistical methods, there were analyzed peculiarities of distribution and the degree of the correlative-regressional dependence between the parameters characterizing the oxygen consumption rate (V _O2), body temperature (BT), activities of three key enzymes of the antioxidant system - superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CL), and glutathion peroxidase (GP) in 15 females of the laboratory population of Mus musculus. The performed studies have shown that the three-dimensional non-linear models better correspond to the actual data and clearly demonstrate specificity of the antioxidant enzymes, as regulatory targets. Changes of the SOD and CL activities depend mainly on V _O2, whereas GP can be the target equally accessible for the regulatory factors of oxidative processes and thermoregulation.