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Zilkha N, Chuartzman SG, Sofer Y, Pen Y, Cum M, Mayo A, Alon U, Kimchi T. Sex-dependent control of pheromones on social organization within groups of wild house mice. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1407-1420.e4. [PMID: 36917976 PMCID: PMC10132349 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.039] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Dominance hierarchy is a fundamental social phenomenon in a wide range of mammalian species, critically affecting fitness and health. Here, we investigate the role of pheromone signals in the control of social hierarchies and individual personalities within groups of wild mice. For this purpose, we combine high-throughput behavioral phenotyping with computational tools in freely interacting groups of wild house mice, males and females, in an automated, semi-natural system. We show that wild mice form dominance hierarchies in both sexes but use sex-specific strategies, displaying distinct male-typical and female-typical behavioral personalities that were also associated with social ranking. Genetic disabling of VNO-mediated pheromone detection generated opposite behavioral effects within groups, enhancing social interactions in males and reducing them in females. Behavioral personalities in the mutated mice displayed mixtures of male-typical and female-typical behaviors, thus blurring sex differences. In addition, rank-associated personalities were abolished despite the fact that both sexes of mutant mice formed stable hierarchies. These findings suggest that group organization is governed by pheromone-mediated sex-specific neural circuits and pave the way to investigate the mechanisms underlying sexual dimorphism in dominance hierarchies under naturalistic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Zilkha
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Yizhak Sofer
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yefim Pen
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Meghan Cum
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Avi Mayo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Uri Alon
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel.
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2
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Vallier M, Suwandi A, Ehrhardt K, Belheouane M, Berry D, Čepić A, Galeev A, Johnsen JM, Grassl GA, Baines JF. Pathometagenomics reveals susceptibility to intestinal infection by Morganella to be mediated by the blood group-related B4galnt2 gene in wild mice. Gut Microbes 2023; 15:2164448. [PMID: 36683151 PMCID: PMC9872957 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2164448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious disease is widely considered to be a major driver of evolution. A preponderance of signatures of balancing selection at blood group-related genes is thought to be driven by inherent trade-offs in susceptibility to disease. B4galnt2 is subject to long-term balancing selection in house mice, where two divergent allele classes direct alternative tissue-specific expression of a glycosyltransferase in the intestine versus blood vessels. The blood vessel allele class leads to prolonged bleeding times similar to von Willebrand disease in humans, yet has been maintained for millions of years. Based on in vivo functional studies in inbred lab strains, it is hypothesized that the cost of prolonged bleeding times may be offset by an evolutionary trade-off involving susceptibility to a yet unknown pathogen(s). To identify candidate pathogens for which resistance could be mediated by B4galnt2 genotype, we here employed a novel "pathometagenomic" approach in a wild mouse population, which combines bacterial 16S rRNA gene-based community profiling with histopathology of gut tissue. Through subsequent isolation, genome sequencing and controlled experiments in lab mice, we show that the presence of the blood vessel allele is associated with resistance to a newly identified subspecies of Morganella morganii, a clinically important opportunistic pathogen. Given the increasing importance of zoonotic events, the approach outlined here may find useful application in the detection of emerging diseases in wild animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Vallier
- Section of Evolutionary Medicine, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Guest Group Evolutionary Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Abdulhadi Suwandi
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hannover, Germany
| | - Katrin Ehrhardt
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hannover, Germany
| | - Meriem Belheouane
- Section of Evolutionary Medicine, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Guest Group Evolutionary Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - David Berry
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Aleksa Čepić
- Section of Evolutionary Medicine, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Guest Group Evolutionary Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Alibek Galeev
- Section of Evolutionary Medicine, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Guest Group Evolutionary Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Jill M. Johnsen
- Bloodworks Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Guntram A. Grassl
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Hannover, Germany
| | - John F. Baines
- Section of Evolutionary Medicine, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Guest Group Evolutionary Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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3
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Glowacki RWP, Engelhart MJ, Ahern PP. Controlled Complexity: Optimized Systems to Study the Role of the Gut Microbiome in Host Physiology. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:735562. [PMID: 34646255 PMCID: PMC8503645 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.735562] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The profound impact of the gut microbiome on host health has led to a revolution in biomedical research, motivating researchers from disparate fields to define the specific molecular mechanisms that mediate host-beneficial effects. The advent of genomic technologies allied to the use of model microbiomes in gnotobiotic mouse models has transformed our understanding of intestinal microbial ecology and the impact of the microbiome on the host. However, despite incredible advances, our understanding of the host-microbiome dialogue that shapes host physiology is still in its infancy. Progress has been limited by challenges associated with developing model systems that are both tractable enough to provide key mechanistic insights while also reflecting the enormous complexity of the gut ecosystem. Simplified model microbiomes have facilitated detailed interrogation of transcriptional and metabolic functions of the microbiome but do not recapitulate the interactions seen in complex communities. Conversely, intact complex communities from mice or humans provide a more physiologically relevant community type, but can limit our ability to uncover high-resolution insights into microbiome function. Moreover, complex microbiomes from lab-derived mice or humans often do not readily imprint human-like phenotypes. Therefore, improved model microbiomes that are highly defined and tractable, but that more accurately recapitulate human microbiome-induced phenotypic variation are required to improve understanding of fundamental processes governing host-microbiome mutualism. This improved understanding will enhance the translational relevance of studies that address how the microbiome promotes host health and influences disease states. Microbial exposures in wild mice, both symbiotic and infectious in nature, have recently been established to more readily recapitulate human-like phenotypes. The development of synthetic model communities from such "wild mice" therefore represents an attractive strategy to overcome the limitations of current approaches. Advances in microbial culturing approaches that allow for the generation of large and diverse libraries of isolates, coupled to ever more affordable large-scale genomic sequencing, mean that we are now ideally positioned to develop such systems. Furthermore, the development of sophisticated in vitro systems is allowing for detailed insights into host-microbiome interactions to be obtained. Here we discuss the need to leverage such approaches and highlight key challenges that remain to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. P. Glowacki
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Morgan J. Engelhart
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Philip P. Ahern
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Center for Microbiome and Human Health, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
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4
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Mair I, Wolfenden A, Lowe AE, Bennett A, Muir A, Smith H, Fenn J, Bradley JE, Else KJ. A lesson from the wild: The natural state of eosinophils is Ly6G hi. Immunology 2021; 164:766-776. [PMID: 34486729 PMCID: PMC8561109 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13413] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
With a long history of promoting pathological inflammation, eosinophils are now emerging as important regulatory cells. Yet, findings from controlled laboratory experiments so far lack translation to animals, including humans, in their natural environment. In order to appreciate the breadth of eosinophil phenotype under non‐laboratory, uncontrolled conditions, we exploit a free‐living population of the model organism Mus musculus domesticus. Eosinophils were present at significantly higher proportions in the spleen and bone marrow of wild mice compared with laboratory mice. Strikingly, the majority of eosinophils of wild mice exhibited a unique Ly6Ghi phenotype seldom described in laboratory literature. Ly6G expression correlated with activation status in spleen and bone marrow, but not peritoneal exudate cells, and is therefore likely not an activation marker per se. Intermediate Ly6G expression was transiently induced in a small proportion of eosinophils from C57BL/6 laboratory mice during acute infection with the whipworm Trichuris muris, but not during low‐dose chronic infection, which better represents parasite exposure in the wild. We conclude that the natural state of the eosinophil is not adequately reflected in the standard laboratory mouse, which compromises our attempts to dissect their functional relevance. Our findings emphasize the importance of studying the immune system in its natural context – alongside more mechanistic laboratory experiments – in order to capture the entirety of immune phenotypes and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Mair
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Wolfenden
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ann E Lowe
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Alex Bennett
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Muir
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Hannah Smith
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jonathan Fenn
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Kathryn J Else
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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5
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van Leeuwen P, Mykytczuk N, Mastromonaco GF, Schulte‐Hostedde AI. Effects of captivity, diet, and relocation on the gut bacterial communities of white-footed mice. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:4677-4690. [PMID: 32551052 PMCID: PMC7297780 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes can have important impacts on their host's survival. Captive breeding programs for endangered species include periods of captivity that can ultimately have an impact on reintroduction success. No study to date has investigated the impacts of captive diet on the gut microbiota during the relocation process of generalist species. This study simulated a captive breeding program with white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to describe the variability in gut microbial community structure and composition during captivity and relocation in their natural habitat, and compared it to wild individuals. Mice born in captivity were fed two different diets, a control with dry standardized pellets and a treatment with nonprocessed components that reflect a version of their wild diet that could be provided in captivity. The mice from the two groups were then relocated to their natural habitat. Relocated mice that had the treatment diet had more phylotypes in common with the wild-host microbiota than mice under the control diet or mice kept in captivity. These results have broad implications for our understanding of microbial community dynamics and the effects of captivity on reintroduced animals, including the potential impact on the survival of endangered species. This study demonstrates that ex situ conservation actions should consider a more holistic perspective of an animal's biology including its microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline van Leeuwen
- Department of BiologyLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
- Conservation Genetics LaboratoryUniversity of LiègeLiègeBelgium
| | - Nadia Mykytczuk
- Vale Living with Lakes CentreLaurentian UniversitySudburyONCanada
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6
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Yeung F, Chen YH, Lin JD, Leung JM, McCauley C, Devlin JC, Hansen C, Cronkite A, Stephens Z, Drake-Dunn C, Fulmer Y, Shopsin B, Ruggles KV, Round JL, Loke P, Graham AL, Cadwell K. Altered Immunity of Laboratory Mice in the Natural Environment Is Associated with Fungal Colonization. Cell Host Microbe 2020; 27:809-822.e6. [PMID: 32209432 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Free-living mammals, such as humans and wild mice, display heightened immune activation compared with artificially maintained laboratory mice. These differences are partially attributed to microbial exposure as laboratory mice infected with pathogens exhibit immune profiles more closely resembling that of free-living animals. Here, we examine how colonization by microorganisms within the natural environment contributes to immune system maturation by releasing inbred laboratory mice into an outdoor enclosure. In addition to enhancing differentiation of T cell populations previously associated with pathogen exposure, outdoor release increased circulating granulocytes. However, these "rewilded" mice were not infected by pathogens previously implicated in immune activation. Rather, immune system changes were associated with altered microbiota composition with notable increases in intestinal fungi. Fungi isolated from rewilded mice were sufficient in increasing circulating granulocytes. These findings establish a model to investigate how the natural environment impacts immune development and show that sustained fungal exposure impacts granulocyte numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Yeung
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ying-Han Chen
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jian-Da Lin
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Leung
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Caroline McCauley
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Joseph C Devlin
- Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Christina Hansen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Alex Cronkite
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zac Stephens
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Charlotte Drake-Dunn
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Yi Fulmer
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Bo Shopsin
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Kelly V Ruggles
- Division of Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA; Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, New York Unversity Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - June L Round
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - P'ng Loke
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Andrea L Graham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Ken Cadwell
- Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Microbiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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7
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Rynkiewicz EC, Fenton A, Pedersen AB. Linking community assembly and structure across scales in a wild mouse parasite community. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:13752-13763. [PMID: 31938479 PMCID: PMC6953566 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5785] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding what processes drive community structure is fundamental to ecology. Many wild animals are simultaneously infected by multiple parasite species, so host-parasite communities can be valuable tools for investigating connections between community structures at multiple scales, as each host can be considered a replicate parasite community. Like free-living communities, within-host-parasite communities are hierarchical; ecological interactions between hosts and parasites can occur at multiple scales (e.g., host community, host population, parasite community within the host), therefore, both extrinsic and intrinsic processes can determine parasite community structure. We combine analyses of community structure and assembly at both the host population and individual scales using extensive datasets on wild wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and their parasite community. An analysis of parasite community nestedness at the host population scale provided predictions about the order of infection at the individual scale, which were then tested using parasite community assembly data from individual hosts from the same populations. Nestedness analyses revealed parasite communities were significantly more structured than random. However, observed nestedness did not differ from null models in which parasite species abundance was kept constant. We did not find consistency between observed community structure at the host population scale and within-host order of infection. Multi-state Markov models of parasite community assembly showed that a host's likelihood of infection with one parasite did not consistently follow previous infection by a different parasite species, suggesting there is not a deterministic order of infection among the species we investigated in wild wood mice. Our results demonstrate that patterns at one scale (i.e., host population) do not reliably predict processes at another scale (i.e., individual host), and that neutral or stochastic processes may be driving the patterns of nestedness observed in these communities. We suggest that experimental approaches that manipulate parasite communities are needed to better link processes at multiple ecological scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn C. Rynkiewicz
- Department of Science and MathematicsFashion Institute of TechnologyState University of New YorkNew YorkNYUSA
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Centre for Immunity, Infection and EvolutionSchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Andy Fenton
- Institute of Integrative BiologyUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Amy B. Pedersen
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Centre for Immunity, Infection and EvolutionSchool of Biological ScienceUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
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8
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Meguro K, Komatsu K, Ohdaira T, Nakagata N, Nakata A, Fukumoto M, Miura T, Yamashiro H. Induction of superovulation using inhibin antiserum and competence of embryo development in wild large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus). Reprod Domest Anim 2019; 54:1637-1642. [PMID: 31587388 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Seasonally, bred wild mice provide a unique bioresource, with high genetic diversity that differs from wild-derived mice and laboratory mice. This study aimed to establish an alternative superovulation method using wild large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus) as the model species. Specifically, we investigated how the application of inhibin antiserum and equine chorionic gonadotropin (IASe) during both the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons impact the ovulation rate and competence of embryo development after in vitro fertilization (IVF) with fresh and cryopreserved sperm. When the wild mice were superovulated by injecting eCG followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), few oocytes were collected during the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons. In comparison, the number of ovulated oocytes was dramatically enhanced by the administration of IASe, followed by isolation of ovulated oocytes 24 hr after 30 IU hCG administration. The IVF oocytes that were in vitro cultured (IVC) with medium containing serum further developed to the 2- and/or 4-cell stage using both fresh and frozen-thawed sperm. In conclusion, we successfully established an alternative protocol for collecting ovulated oocytes from wild large Japanese field mice by administering IASe and hCG during both the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons. This study is the first to develop IVF-IVC wild large Japanese field mice beyond the 2- and/or 4-cell stage in vitro using fresh and cryopreserved sperm. This approach could be used in other species of wild or endangered mice to reduce the number of animals used for experiments, or in maintaining stocks of germ cells or embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanna Meguro
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Kazuki Komatsu
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Takuya Ohdaira
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Naomi Nakagata
- Center for Animal Resources and Development (CARD), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Akifumi Nakata
- Division of Life Science, Hokkaido University of Science, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Manabu Fukumoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomisato Miura
- Department of Bioscience and Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.,Department of Radiation Biology, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Hideaki Yamashiro
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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9
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Clerc M, Fenton A, Babayan SA, Pedersen AB. Parasitic nematodes simultaneously suppress and benefit from coccidian coinfection in their natural mouse host. Parasitology 2019; 146:1096-106. [PMID: 30915927 DOI: 10.1017/S0031182019000192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Within-host interactions among coinfecting parasites are common and have important consequences for host health and disease dynamics. However, these within-host interactions have traditionally been studied in laboratory mouse models, which often exclude important variation and use unnatural host-parasite combinations. Conversely, the few wild studies of within-host interactions often lack knowledge of parasite exposure and infection history. Here we exposed laboratory-reared wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) that were derived from wild-caught animals to two naturally-occurring parasites (nematode: Heligmosomoides polygyrus, coccidia: Eimeria hungaryensis) to investigate the impact of coinfection on parasite infection dynamics, and to determine if the host immune response mediates this interaction. Coinfection led to delayed worm expulsion and prolonged egg shedding in H. polygyrus infections and lower peak E. hungaryensis oocyst burdens. By comparing antibody levels between wild and colony-housed mice, we also found that wild mice had elevated H. polygyrus-IgG1 titres even if currently uninfected with H. polygyrus. Using this unique wild-laboratory system, we demonstrate, for the first time, clear evidence for a reciprocal interaction between these intestinal parasites, and that there is a great discrepancy between antibody levels measured in the wild vs those measured under controlled laboratory conditions in relation to parasite infection and coinfection.
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10
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Chao T, Liu Z, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Huang R, He L, Gu Y, Chen Z, Zheng Q, Shi L, Zheng W, Qi X, Kong E, Zhang Z, Lawrence T, Liang Y, Lu L. Precise and Rapid Validation of Candidate Gene by Allele Specific Knockout With CRISPR/Cas9 in Wild Mice. Front Genet 2019; 10:124. [PMID: 30838037 PMCID: PMC6390232 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00124] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is a tempting goal to identify causative genes underlying phenotypic differences among inbred strains of mice, which is a huge reservoir of genetic resources to understand mammalian pathophysiology. In particular, the wild-derived mouse strains harbor enormous genetic variations that have been acquired during evolutionary divergence over 100s of 1000s of years. However, validating the genetic variation in non-classical strains was extremely difficult, until the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools. In this study, we first describe a T cell phenotype in both wild-derived PWD/PhJ parental mice and F1 hybrids, from a cross to C57BL/6 (B6) mice, and we isolate a genetic locus on Chr2, using linkage mapping and chromosome substitution mice. Importantly, we validate the identification of the functional gene controlling this T cell phenotype, Cd44, by allele specific knockout of the PWD copy, leaving the B6 copy completely intact. Our experiments using F1 mice with a dominant phenotype, allowed rapid validation of candidate genes by designing sgRNA PAM sequences that only target the DNA of the PWD genome. We obtained 10 animals derived from B6 eggs fertilized with PWD sperm cells which were subjected to microinjection of CRISPR/Cas9 gene targeting machinery. In the newborns of F1 hybrids, 80% (n = 10) had allele specific knockout of the candidate gene Cd44 of PWD origin, and no mice showed mistargeting of the B6 copy. In the resultant allele-specific knockout F1 mice, we observe full recovery of T cell phenotype. Therefore, our study provided a precise and rapid approach to functionally validate genes that could facilitate gene discovery in classic mouse genetics. More importantly, as we succeeded in genetic manipulation of mice, allele specific knockout could provide the possibility to inactivate disease alleles while keeping the normal allele of the gene intact in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianzhu Chao
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhuangzhuang Liu
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Lichen Zhang
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Rong Huang
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Le He
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yanrong Gu
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhijun Chen
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Qianqian Zheng
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Lijin Shi
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Laboratory of Genetic Regulators in the Immune System, Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xinhui Qi
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Eryan Kong
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhongjian Zhang
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Toby Lawrence
- Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yinming Liang
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Laboratory of Genetic Regulators in the Immune System, Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Liaoxun Lu
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Therapy, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Laboratory of Genetic Regulators in the Immune System, Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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11
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Ardlie KG, Silver LM. LOW FREQUENCY OF t HAPLOTYPES IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF HOUSE MICE (MUS MUSCULUS DOMESTICUS). Evolution 2017; 52:1185-1196. [PMID: 28565222 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1998.tb01844.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/1997] [Accepted: 03/06/1998] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
t haplotypes are a naturally occurring, autosomal, meiotic-drive system found on chromosome 17 of the house mouse. They show non-Mendelian transmission from heterozygous +/t males, such that 90% or more of the male's offspring inherit the t-bearing chromosome. Although they are expected to become rapidly fixed, surveys of natural populations typically report low overall frequencies of only ~15-25% +/t heterozygotes. Generally, such studies of t haplotypes in wild populations have sampled only small numbers of individuals due to the need to genotype mice by breeding, thus we have conducted a large survey of wild mice, Mus musculus domesticus, using DNA markers to examine the frequency and distribution of t haplotypes in natural populations. The overall frequency of +/t heterozygotes from our entire sample was 0.062, which is much lower than all previous estimates of t haplotype frequency. t haplotypes were patchily distributed and rare, and were present in only 46% of the populations we sampled. There were no significant sex-specific differences in the frequency of t haplotypes. Our data suggest that the frequency of +/t heterozygotes in independent populations varies with respect to population size and stability: t haplotypes were at low frequency in all large, relatively persistent populations, whereas they were at more variable, and often higher, frequencies in small, temporally unstable populations. The extinction and recolonization of many of the smaller populations may contribute to the greater variation in t haplotype frequency observed, and small populations may be important reservoirs of t haplotypes in the wild. The highest frequencies of t haplotypes were obtained from populations with semilethal, or complementing lethal, t haplotypes, where t/t homozygous mice were present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin G Ardlie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544
| | - Lee M Silver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544
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12
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Abstract
The house mouse, Mus musculus, was established in the early 1900s as one of the first genetic model organisms owing to its short generation time, comparatively large litters, ease of husbandry, and visible phenotypic variants. For these reasons and because they are mammals, house mice are well suited to serve as models for human phenotypes and disease. House mice in the wild consist of at least three distinct subspecies and harbor extensive genetic and phenotypic variation both within and between these subspecies. Wild mice have been used to study a wide range of biological processes, including immunity, cancer, male sterility, adaptive evolution, and non-Mendelian inheritance. Despite the extensive variation that exists among wild mice, classical laboratory strains are derived from a limited set of founders and thus contain only a small subset of this variation. Continued efforts to study wild house mice and to create new inbred strains from wild populations have the potential to strengthen house mice as a model system. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05959.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Phifer-Rixey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Michael W Nachman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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13
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Goto T, Tanave A, Moriwaki K, Shiroishi T, Koide T. Selection for reluctance to avoid humans during the domestication of mice. Genes Brain Behav 2013; 12:760-70. [PMID: 24034605 PMCID: PMC4282115 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Revised: 07/29/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Many animal species have been domesticated over the course of human history and became tame as a result of domestication. Tameness is a behavioral characteristic with 2 potential components: (1) reluctance to avoid humans and (2) motivation to approach humans. However, the specific behavioral characteristics selected during domestication processes remain to be clarified for many species. To quantify these 2 different components of tameness separately, we established 3 behavioral tests: the ‘active tame’, ‘passive tame’ and ‘stay-on-hand’ tests. We subjected genetically diverse mouse strains to these tests, including 10 wild strains (BFM/2Ms, PGN2/Ms, HMI/Ms, BLG2/Ms, NJL/Ms, KJR/Ms, SWN/Ms, CHD/Ms, MSM/Ms and CAST/Ei), a fancy strain (JF1/Ms) and 6 standard laboratory strains (C3H/HeNJcl, CBA/J, BALB/cAnNCrlCrlj, DBA/2JJcl, 129+Ter/SvJcl and C57BL/6JJcl). To analyze the effects of domestication, these 17 strains were divided into 2 groups: domesticated strains (fancy and laboratory strains) and wild strains. Significant differences between strains were observed in all traits, and the calculated estimates of broad-sense heritability were 0.15–0.72. These results illustrate that tameness in mice is significantly influenced by genetic background. In addition, they clearly show the differences in the features of tameness in domesticated and wild strains. Most of the domesticated strains showed significantly greater reluctance to avoid humans than wild strains, whereas there was no significant difference in the level of motivation to approach humans between these 2 groups. These results might help to clarify the genetic basis of tameness in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Goto
- Mouse Genomics Resource Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka; Transdisciplinary Research Integration Center, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Tokyo
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14
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Bryk J, Somel M, Lorenc A, Teschke M. Early gene expression divergence between allopatric populations of the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus). Ecol Evol 2013; 3:558-68. [PMID: 23532401 PMCID: PMC3605846 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Revised: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 11/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Divergence of gene expression is known to contribute to the differentiation and separation of populations and species, although the dynamics of this process in early stages of population divergence remains unclear. We analyzed gene expression differences in three organs (brain, liver, and testis) between two natural populations of Mus musculus domesticus that have been separated for at most 3000 years. We used two different microarray platforms to corroborate the results at a large scale and identified hundreds of genes with significant expression differences between the populations. We find that although the three tissues have similar number of differentially expressed genes, brain and liver have more tissue–specific genes than testis. Most genes show changes in a single tissue only, even when expressed in all tissues, supporting the notion that tissue–specific enhancers act as separable targets of evolution. In terms of functional categories, in brain and to a smaller extent in liver, we find transcription factors and their targets to be particularly variable between populations, similar to previous findings in primates. Testis, however, has a different set of differently expressed genes, both with respect to functional categories and overall correlation with the other tissues, the latter indicating that gene expression divergence of potential importance might be present in other datasets where no differences in fraction of differentially expressed genes were reported. Our results show that a significant amount of gene expression divergence quickly accumulates between allopatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarosław Bryk
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology August-Thienemann-Str. 2, 24306, Plön, Germany
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15
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Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in humans have identified hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with complex traits, yet for most traits studied, the sum total of all these identified variants fail to explain a significant portion of the heritable variation. Reasons for this “missing heritability” are thought to include the existence of rare causative variants not captured by current genotyping arrays, structural variants that go undetected by existing technology, insufficient power to identify multi-gene interactions, small sample sizes, and the influence of environmental and epigenetic effects. As genotyping technologies have evolved it has become inexpensive and relatively straightforward to perform GWAS in mice. Mice offer a powerful tool for elucidating the genetic architecture of behavioral and physiological traits, and are complementary to human studies. Unlike F2 crosses of inbred strains, advanced intercross lines, heterogeneous stocks, outbred, and wild-caught mice have more rapid breakdown of linkage disequilibrium which allow for increasingly high resolution mapping. Because some of these populations are created using a small number of founder chromosomes they are not expected to harbor rare alleles. We discuss the differences between these mouse populations and examine their potential to overcome some of the pitfalls that have plagued human GWAS studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa C Parker
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
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16
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Abstract
To investigate whether mice genetically unaltered by many generations of laboratory selection exhibit similar hormonal and demographic responses to caloric restriction (CR) as laboratory rodents, we performed CR on cohorts of genetically heterogeneous male mice which were grandoffspring of wild-caught ancestors. Although hormonal changes, specifically an increase in corticosterone and decrease in testosterone, mimicked those seen in laboratory-adapted rodents, we found no difference in mean longevity between ad libitum (AL) and CR dietary groups, although a maximum likelihood fitted Gompertz mortality model indicated a significantly shallower slope and higher intercept for the CR group. This result was due to higher mortality in CR animals early in life, but lower mortality late in life. A subset of animals may have exhibited the standard demographic response to CR in that the longest-lived 8.1% of our animals were all from the CR group. Despite the lack of a robust mean longevity difference between groups, we did note a strong anticancer effect of CR as seen in laboratory rodents. Three plausible interpretations of our results are the following: (1) animals not selected under laboratory conditions do not show the typical CR effect; (2) because wild-derived animals eat less when fed AL, our restriction regime was too severe to see the CR effect; or (3) there is genetic variation for the CR effect in wild populations; variants that respond to CR with extended life are inadvertently selected for under conditions of laboratory domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M. Harper
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Charles W. Leathers
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Steven N. Austad
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
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17
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Williams RW, Strom RC, Rice DS, Goldowitz D. Genetic and environmental control of variation in retinal ganglion cell number in mice. J Neurosci 1996; 16:7193-205. [PMID: 8929428 PMCID: PMC6578945] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/1996] [Revised: 08/28/1996] [Accepted: 09/04/1996] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
How much of the remarkable variation in neuron number within a species is generated by genetic differences, and how much is generated by environmental factors? We address this problem for a single population of neurons in the mouse CNS. Retinal ganglion cells of inbred and outbred strains, wild species and subspecies, and F1 hybrids were studied using an unbiased electron microscopic method with known technical reliability. Ganglion cell numbers among diverse types of mice are highly variable, ranging from 32,000 to 87,000. The distribution of all cases (n = 252) is close to normal, with a mean of 58,500 and an SD of 7800. Genetic factors are most important in controlling this variation; 76% of the variance is heritable and up to 90% is attributable to genetic factors in a broad sense. Strain averages have an unanticipated bimodal distribution, with distinct peaks at 55,500 and 63,500 cells. Three pairs of closely related strains have ganglion cell populations that differ by > 20% (10,000 cells). These findings indicate that different alleles at one or two genes have major effects on normal variation in ganglion cell number. Nongenetic factors are still appreciable and account for a coefficient of variation that averages approximately 3.6% within inbred strains and isogenic F1 hybrids. Age- and sex-related differences in neuron number are negligible. Variation within isogenic strains appears to be generated mainly by developmental noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- R W Williams
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163, USA
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