Factors influencing maternal behavior in the hubb/hubb mutant mouse

Alston-Mills, Brenda; Ac, Parker; Eisen, E. J.; Wilson, RH; Fletcher, Sarah

doi:10.1016/s0031-9384(99)00149-3

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Many mutant, knockout and transgenic mice display poor maternal behaviour or complete inability to rear offspring (e.g. Gustavino, 1983;Nelson and Young, 1998;Brown et al, 1996;Alston-Mills et al, 1999;Jugloff et al, 2006). While wild-type females usually gathered their pups in a nest and crouched over them to nurse, pups of fosB mutant mice were scattered around the cage and neglected by the mother (Brown et al, 1996).…”

Section: Infanticide and Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, 1/3 still died and the mothers did not lick the pups, did not build a nest, never retrieved the pups and assumed a peculiar position when nursing. Alston-Mills et al (1999) reported that the hubb/hubb mutation tended to be sensitive to disturbance of their cages, responding with infanticide and cannibalism, and also the Mecp2-deficient mouse model is difficult to rear with high incidence of infanticide (Jugloff et al, 2006).…”

Section: Infanticide and Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even in the protected laboratory environment, maternal behaviour is crucial for the survival of the altricial mouse infants. Loss of newborn litters is not uncommon in laboratory strains and some genetically modified strains show poor maternal behaviour (Nelson and Young, 1998;Alston-Mills et al, 1999). Nevertheless, almost nothing is known about the background of unsuccessful maternal care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Maternal behaviour in Mus musculus sp.: An ethological review

Weber

Olsson²

2008

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

115

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In this paper, we review the scientific literature on maternal behaviour in commensal house mice and laboratory mice. Similar to other altricial species, female mice prepare a nest before parturition. Once the pups are born, nursing is the main part of maternal behaviour, and pups are weaned through a gradual non-aggressive process after about 3 weeks. Mice are social and both males and females show parental behaviour. Female mice giving birth at about the same time form communal nests, where pups are also communally nursed, a phenomenon that may confer benefit in inclusive fitness. However, social living may also be risky with conspecifics being the main predators of pups. A distinct aggressive behaviour pattern shown by pregnant and lactating female is thought to protect nest and pups against such attacks. Maternal aggression is influenced by the presence of pups and by litter size and composition. Communication through external stimuli from the pups contributes to maintaining maternal behaviour, thereby influencing pup growth. Handling of infants and pre-and peri-natal stress affects maternal behaviour. When resources are limited, females may reduce litter size through infanticide; however, the phenomenon of maternal cannibalism under normal laboratory conditions is poorly understood. Many studies included in this review use only standard tests to measure maternal behaviour, and more ethological research would be valuable to understand problems with reproduction in laboratory strains as well as to understand the influence of different housing conditions.

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Section: Infanticide and Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Infanticide and Cannibalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Maternal behaviour in Mus musculus sp.: An ethological review

Weber

Olsson²

2008

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

115

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“…knock-out) effects on mouse maternal behaviour (e.g. Brown et al, 1996;Alston-Mills et al, 1999) could probably be aided by more knowledge of the factors affecting natural nest-building, maternal defensive aggression, infanticide, differential responsiveness to various pup cues, and the factors involved in allo-parental care. Novel ethologically-relevant tests can also be extremely valuable.…”

Section: Mouse Biology and The Behavioural Tests Used In Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

Latham

Mason

2004

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

292

236

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Understanding a species' behaviour in natural conditions can give insights into its development, responses and welfare in captivity. Here, we review research and pest control literatures on the free-living house mouse (Mus musculus), analysing its sensory world, developmental processes and behaviour to suggest how laboratory environments might affect mouse welfare, normalcy, test design, and behaviour. Mouse development from foetus to weaning is influenced by prenatal stress and nutrient levels, and post-natal litter size and other factors affecting maternal care, all with lasting effects on adult bodyweight, aggression, activity levels, stress responsiveness and masculinisation. These influences may well be important in the laboratory, for example unwittingly differing between facilities leading to site-differences in phenotype. Murine senses are dominated by olfactory, auditory and tactile cues. Their hearing extends into the ultrasonic, and vision, from mid-range wavelengths to the ultraviolet. In mouse facilities, behaviour and welfare may therefore also be affected by sensory stimuli unnoticed by humans. The physical and social environment and behaviour of wild mice differ greatly from those of laboratory mice. Dispersal age varies with resource-levels and social cues, and mice often either live alone or in family groups. Mice occupy territories/ranges measuring a few square meters to several square kilometers, and which allow running, climbing, and burrowing. Mice are often active during dawn/dusk, and spend their time patrolling their territories, investigating neighbours' odour cues, foraging, finding mates and rearing litters. The potential impact of these many differences and restrictions on laboratory mouse development, normalcy and welfare has only begun to be explored.

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“…Estradiol is related to maternal behavior in red-bellied tamarin monkeys, a species in which females showing high prepartum estradiol levels in urine have normal maternal care, while low levels correlate with rejection of offspring (Pryce et al 1988). Prolactin is required for normal reproduction and mammary gland development in mice (Horseman et al 1997;Alston-Mills et al 1999), and the prolactin receptor (PRLR) is a regulator of maternal behavior (Lucas et al 1998). The neurochemical mechanisms involved in maternal behavior Note: Superscripted letters show QTLs in the same confidence interval as QTLs for maternal effect for early growth in mice (Wolf et al 2002).…”

Section: Hormones and Genesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Influences on Maternal Care

Peripato¹,

Cheverud²

2002

The American Naturalist

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The basis of social evolution in mammals is the mother-offspring relationship. It is also the primary and most important instance of indirect genetic effects, where genetic variation in one individual affects phenotypic variation among others. This relationship is so important in mammals that often the major factor determining the life or death of newborns is the environment provided by their mother. Variations in these environments can be due to variations in maternal genotypes. In our work with the intercross of two mouse inbred strains, LG/J and SM/J, we uncovered a very severe variation in maternal performance. These females failed to nurture their offspring and showed abnormal maternal behaviors leading to loss of their litter. Rather than this being due to a single gene variant as in knockout mice, we uncovered a complex genetic basis for this trait. The effects of genes on maternal performance are entirely context dependent in our cross. They depend on the alleles present at the same or other epistatically interacting loci. Genomic locations identified in this study include locations of candidate genes whose knockouts displayed similar aberrant maternal behavior. Behaviors significantly associated with maternal performance in this study include suckling, nest building, placentophagia, pup grooming, and retrieval of pups after disturbance.

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Factors influencing maternal behavior in the hubb/hubb mutant mouse

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Maternal behaviour in Mus musculus sp.: An ethological review

Maternal behaviour in Mus musculus sp.: An ethological review

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

Genetic Influences on Maternal Care

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