Differential response to the odor of familiar intruder mice in male mice (Mus musculus)

Responses to the odor of familiar intruder male mice according to their dominance were investigated. Responses were classified into 2 aspects: the investigation of the odor and the decision-making regarding avoiding it or not. The results varied according to the dominance of the respondents and the odor donor, and also according to the context of previous encounter situations. The dominants that had attacked an intruder dominant mouse responded randomly to its odor, whereas the dominants that had fought with it tended to avoid the odor. The subordinates that had observed an intruder dominant mouse being attacked by its dominant cagemate preferred the passage with the intruder's odor. The odor of a subordinate mouse was neither avoided nor preferred by either the dominants or subordinates. It was suggested that mice distinguished the dominance of the odor donor regardless of the context of the previous encounter situation, but they responded differently according to it and also according to their own dominance status.     

Biochemical polymorphisms in feral and inbred mice (Mus musculus)

Examination of the frequencies of several loci controlling isozymes in three geographically distinct feral populations of mice showed the average animal to be heterozygous at 10.3% of his loci. There was no evidence for interaction between loci, nor any evidence for inbreeding in the populations. Thirty-nine inbred strains, including four newly derived ones, were also characterized for their alleles for as many as 16 polymorphic loci. Among these strains, variability is at least as great as in any single feral population, but probably less than that found among all feral populations of the species.This work was supported by NIH Research Grants GM-9966 and GM-07249 from the Division of General Medical Science, and by contracts AT(30-1)-1979 and AT(30-1)-3671 with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.     

Cryptosporidium tyzzeri and Cryptosporidium muris originated from wild West-European house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) and East-European house mice (Mus musculus musculus) are non-infectious for pigs

Three and 8 week old pigs were inoculated with Cryptosporidium muris HZ206 (Mus musculus musculus isolate), Cryptosporidium tyzerri CR2090 (M. m. musculus isolate) or C. tyzzeri CR4293 (isolate from a hybrid between Mus musculus domesticus and M. m. musculus) at a dose of 1 × 10(7) oocysts per animal. Inoculated pigs showed no detectable infection and no clinical symptoms of cryptosporidiosis during 30 days post infection (DPI), and no macroscopic changes were detected in the digestive tract following necropsy. Developmental stages were not detected in gastrointestinal tract tissue by histology or PCR throughout the duration of the experiment. The infectivity of isolates was verified on SCID mice, in which oocysts shedding started from 4 to 8 DPI. Based on our findings, it can be concluded that pigs are not susceptible to C. muris or C. tyzzeri infection.     

Isolation effect in mice (Mus musculus): (ii) Variance in aggression

The hypothesis of dominant/territorial aggression on isolation-induced aggression was examined by comparing the behavior of isolated mice with that of familiar dominant mice. Familiar dominant mice showed as much aggression in an already known neutral space as the isolated mice. The behavioral sequences of aggression in the 2 groups showed both differences and similarities between each other. There was more variance in the aggressive behavior of the dominant mice. The differences were considered to be due to the effect of isolated housing, and the similarities were considered to be the change due to the occurrence of aggression. It is suggested that the isolated mice had a unique behavioral pattern.     

Genetic study of pancreatic proteinase in mice (Mus musculus): Genetic variants of trypsin and chymotrypsin

Three to five isozymes of pancreatic proteinase exist in mice, and they have been designated as bands I, II, III, IV, and V. Identification experiments of these isozymes were carried out in this study; banks I, IV, and V are trypsin, and bands II and III are chymotrypsin. Therefore, it is concluded that Prt-1, controlling band V, is a locus for trypsin and Prt-2, controlling bands II and III, is a locus for chymotrypsin. In addition, a new locus, Prt-3, has been found. At this locus the two allelic genes, Prt-3 ^a and Prt-3 ^b , control the low and high tryptic activities of band IV, respectively. Prt-3 is present only in the strain Mol-A. Linkage experimentation has shown that Prt-1 is closely linked to Prt-3.     

光照对棕色田鼠和昆明小鼠活动性的影响

光照对啮齿动物的行为格局和活动节律有着重要的影响。本研究以比较生物学方法,以光照强度和鼠种两个因素,在实验室内利用动物行为监视系统,以焦点动物取样法( Focus animal sampling) ,在＜ 20 Lux、200 Lux、800 Lux 和1 600 Lux 等4 个水平的光照强度下,监测和记录棕色田鼠和昆明小鼠的移动和静止行为,并在实验结束时测定实验动物的体重; 在800 Lux 光照强度下,设置正常( 12L∶ 12D) 和全黑( 0L∶ 24D) 两种光照时间,连续12 h监测并记录实验动物的行为。采用双因素方差分析方法对数据进行统计分析。结果表明:1) 光强与鼠种对静止行为存在显著交互作用,棕色田鼠的静止行为与光强间存在显著的负相关关系,而昆明小鼠的静止行为则与光强无显著的相关; 2) 光强对两种动物移动行为的影响与静止行为表现方式相反; 3) 在12 h的光暴露条件下,棕色田鼠的相对活动显著强于昆明小鼠; 4) 光强对两种动物体重的影响不同,棕色田鼠体重与光强呈正相关关系,昆明小鼠与光强呈负相关关系,但差异不显著。本研究进一步验证了地面鼠与地下鼠对光强适应的差别。     

Testosterone rapidly reduces anxiety in male house mice (Mus musculus)

Eight experiments supported the hypotheses that reflexive testosterone release by male mice during sexual encounters reduces male anxiety (operationally defined in terms of behavior on an elevated plus-maze) and that this anxiolysis is mediated by the conversion of testosterone to neurosteroids that interact with GABA(A) receptors. In Experiment 1, a 10-min exposure to opposite-sex conspecifics significantly reduced both male and female anxiety 20 min later (as indexed by increased open-arm time on an elevated plus-maze) compared to control mice not receiving this exposure. In contrast, locomotor activity (as indexed by enclosed-arm entries on the elevated plus-maze) was not significantly affected. The remaining experiments examined only male behavior. In Experiment 2, exposure to female urine alone was anxiolytic while locomotor activity was not significantly affected. Thus, urinary pheromones of female mice likely initiated the events leading to the male anxiolysis. In phase 1 of Experiment 3, sc injections of 500 microg of testosterone significantly reduced anxiety 30 min later while locomotor activity was not significantly affected. Thus, testosterone elevations were associated with reduced male anxiety and the time course consistent with a nongenomic, or very rapid genomic, mechanism of testosterone action. In phase 2 of Experiment 3, the anxiolytic effect of testosterone was dose dependent with a 250 microg sc injection required. Thus, testosterone levels likely must be well above baseline levels (i.e., in the range induced by pulsatile release) in order to induce anxiolysis. In Experiment 4, a high dosage of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone was more anxiolytic than a high dosage of estradiol benzoate, suggesting that testosterone action may require 5alpha-reduction. In Experiments 5 and 6, 3alpha,5alpha-reduced neurosteroid metabolites of testosterone (androsterone and 3alpha-androstandione) were both anxiolytic at a lower dosage (100 microg/sc injection) than testosterone, supporting the notion that testosterone is converted into neurosteroid metabolites for anxiolytic activity. Experiments 7 and 8 found that either picrotoxin or bicucculine, noncompetitive and competitive antagonists of the GABA(A) receptor, respectively, blocked the anxiolytic effects of testosterone. However, conclusions from these 2 experiments must be tempered by the reduction in locomotor activity that was also seen. The possible brain locations of testosterone action as well as the possible adaptive significance of this anxiolytic response are discussed.     

Social domination and reproductive success in male laboratory mice (Mus musculus)

The task of the present study was to evaluate effect of social status and of genotype on success of reproduction of male laboratory mice with use of ethological model of social hierarchy of “minimal socium”. The model represents the paired maintenance of two male mice of different genotypes (PT and CBA/Lac). The mice resided for 30 days in one experimental cage and established between them the dominant-subordinant relations. After this, each pair of males was supplemented by two DD/He females. Regardless of their genotype, the dominants became fathers more often than the subordinants and left more offspring. It has been established that the complete suppression of fertility did not occur. It is suggested that this allows them to make genetic contribution to the next generation and to remain in the genetic pool of population.     

Superovulation and in vitro oocyte maturation in three species of mice (Mus musculus, Mus spretus and Mus spicilegus)

Mouse oocytes can be obtained via superovulation or using in vitro maturation although several factors, including genetic background, may affect response. Our previous studies have identified various mouse species as models to understand the role of sexual selection on the evolution of sperm traits and function. In order to do comparative studies of sperm-oocyte interaction, we sought reliable methods for oocyte superovulation and in vitro maturation in mature females of three mouse species (genus Mus). When 5IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and 5IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) were injected 48h apart, and oocytes collected 14h post-hCG, good responses were obtained in Mus musculus (18+/-1.3oocytes/female; mean+/-S.E.M.) and Mus spretus (12+/-0.8), but no ovulation was seen in Mus spicilegus. Changes in PMSG or hCG doses, or longer post-hCG intervals, did not improve results. Use of PMSG/luteinizing hormone (LH) resulted in good responses in M. musculus (19+/-1.2) and M. spretus (12+/-1.1) but not in M. spicilegus (5+/-0.9) with ovulation not increasing with higher LH doses. Follicular puncture 48h after PMSG followed by in vitro maturation led to a high oocyte yield in the three species (M. musculus, 23+/-0.9; M. spretus, 17+/-1.1; M. spicilegus, 10+/-0.9) with a consistently high maturation rates. In vitro fertilization of both superovulated and in vitro matured oocytes resulted in a high proportion of fertilization (range: 83-87%) in the three species. Thus, in vitro maturation led to high yields in all three species. These results will allow future studies on gamete interaction in these closely related species and the role of sexual selection in gamete compatibility.     

Multiple paternity in wild house mice (Mus musculus musculus): effects on offspring genetic diversity and body mass

Multiple mating is common in many species, but it is unclear whether multiple paternity enhances offspring genetic diversity or fitness. We conducted a survey on wild house mice (Mus musculus musculus), and we found that in 73 pregnant females, 29% of litters had multiple sires, which is remarkably similar to the 23–26% found in feral populations of Mus musculus domesticus in the USA and Australia, respectively. The question is: How has selection maintained multiple mating in these subspecies since the evolutionary divergence, ca. 2800–6000 years ago? We found no evidence that multiple paternity enhanced females’ litter size, contrary to the fertility assurance or genetic benefits hypotheses. Multiple paternity was associated with reduced mean and variance in offspring body mass, which suggests that females allocate fewer resources or that there is increased intrauterine conflict in multiple-versus single-sired litters. We found increased allelic diversity (though not heterozygosity) in multiple-sired litters, as predicted by the genetic diversity hypothesis. Finally, we found that the dams’ heterozygosity was correlated with the mean heterozygosity of their offspring in single-and multiple-sired litters, suggesting that outbred, heterozygous females were more likely to avoid inbreeding than inbred, homozygous females. Future studies are needed to examine how increased genetic diversity of litters and smaller mean (and variance) offspring body mass associated with multiple paternity affect offspring fitness.     

Urine marking and social dominance in male house mice (Mus musculus domesticus)

House mice use urine marking for a variety of forms of social communication. Urine marking varies with dominance status; socially dominant male house mice urine mark more than those that are socially subordinate. Experiment I was designed to confirm this previous finding. Experiment II was designed to test whether urine marking, measured prior to testing males for aggression, could be used to predict social dominance. Mice were tested for urine marking in 20 cmx40 cm rectangular cages with filter paper below the wire mesh bottom of the cage. In Experiment I, groups of four males were tested in a round robin design to assess social dominance and were then placed individually in urine marking cages. Social dominance was a significant predictor of the number of 1 cm squares that contained urine marks, both with regard to interior squares and for perimeter squares in the test cage. In Experiment II, groups of four males were first tested individually in urine marking cages and then used for round robin aggressive encounters to assess social dominance. The number of interior squares with urine marks, and, to a lesser extent, the number of perimeter squares with urine marks, were both significant predictors of aggression scores and social dominance status. Being able to judge social dominance without having the mice encounter each other could be a valuable tool for future work; confounding effects on such parameters as hormone levels could be avoided while obtaining an estimate of male social dominance status.