Do sires and juvenile male mice (C57BL/6) contribute to the rearing of the offspring?

Copulation and/or cohabitation with a pregnant female facilitate paternal behavior in male mice. However, their contribution to the rearing of the offspring is still not well understood. Our aims were to investigate the behavior of sires toward own or alien pups; the immediate consequences of the presence of fathers on the offspring and the behavior of the mother; and whether the exposure of juvenile males to newborn siblings, in an overlapping litters context, facilitates paternal behavior in C57BL/6 mice. We found that sires behaved paternally toward alien pups at both postpartum days 3 and 7; did not affect the behavior of the mother (e.g., licking and grooming, retrieval behavior, time in the nest, and crouching postures); and reduced the time offspring stayed alone in the nest. The exposure to newborn siblings did not promote paternal behavior in juvenile males. Therefore, sires are more paternal than usually described in the literature for laboratory mice, suggesting a facultative role in the rearing of the offspring. However, juvenile male mice, in contrast to juvenile females, could be adapted to leave the nest earlier without major contribution to the offspring.     

沉默长链非编码RNA Meg3损伤小鼠胰岛细胞的胰岛素分泌功能

MEG3是一种长链非编码RNA。已有研究证明,鼠源Meg3参与小鼠诱导多能干细胞、神经元和视网膜的分化过程。最新报道,MEG3在人胰岛β细胞中高表达,但其对维持成年胰岛β细胞的功能尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨Meg3在小鼠胰岛细胞胰岛素分泌功能中的作用。实时定量PCR揭示,与Balb/c小鼠心、肝、脾、肺、肌、肾等组织/器官比较,Meg3在胰腺组织中高表达。在非糖尿病小鼠发生自发性糖尿病的第8、12周,Meg3在胰岛中的表达水平分别下调24%±8%和29%±9% (P<0.01);而当血糖升高20 mmol/L,小鼠胰岛中Meg3表达下调72%±16%(P<0.01)。在MIN6细胞中采用RNA干扰敲减Meg3的表达,在高糖浓度（20 mmol/L）刺激条件下,胰岛素分泌显著减少。小鼠静脉注射siRNA,结合血糖测定或葡萄糖耐受试验（IPGTT）显示,si-Meg3小鼠血清胰岛素水平显著下降。注射葡萄糖前血糖升高,注射葡萄糖后耐受能力降低;免疫组化分析显示,si-Meg3小鼠胰岛素阳性细胞的面积减少。实验结果提示,Meg3通过参与胰岛素的合成和分泌维持成年小鼠胰岛功能。Meg3表达失调可能参与I型糖尿病（T1DM）发病过程。