Aggressive and non-aggressive personalities differ in oxidative status in selected lines of mice ( Mus musculus )

Abstract

Mice selected for aggression and coping (long attack latency (LAL), reactive coping strategy; short attack latency (SAL), pro-active coping strategy) are a useful model for studying the physiological background of animal personalities. These mice also show a differential stress responsiveness, especially in terms of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, to various challenges. Since the stress response can increase the production of reactive oxygen species, we predicted that the basic oxidative status of the lines could differ. We found that LAL showed higher serum antioxidant capacity (OXY ) than SAL, while no differences emerged for reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) or the balance between ROMs and OXY, reflecting oxidative stress. Moreover, the lines showed inverse relationships between ROMs or OXY and body mass corrected for age. The results indicate that variation in oxidative status is heritable and linked to personality. This suggests that different animal personalities may be accompanied by differences in oxidative status, which may predict differences in longevity.

Eating increases oxidative damage in a reptile

“…Here, we show that digesting a meal has a minimal impact on antioxidant capacity, which increased by 4% -less than differences due to forced locomotion (Costantini et al, 2008b), genetic selection for aggression (Costantini et al, 2008a), or natural variation among populations (Costantini et al, 2009). However, the OXY test does not capture all aspects of antioxidant status of the individual (Sepp et al, 2012), and it is possible that other antioxidant defenses were modulated in ways that we did not detect.…”

Oxidative profile varies with personality in European greenfinches

“…An exception is recent work by Costantini and colleagues (Costantini et al, 2008a), which showed that mice from strains characterised by a long attack latency ('LAL', i.e. passive personality types) had higher antioxidant capacity than mice from strains with relatively short attack latencies ('SAL', i.e.…”

“…First, longevity varies with personality (Cavigelli and McClintock, 2003;Cavigelli et al, 2009;Ewalds-Kwist and Selander, 1996), suggesting a cumulative cost to personality. In LAL-SAL mice for example, young LAL mice have a higher antioxidant capacity than SAL mice yet their oxidative stress levels are not lower, and ultimately they have shorter life spans (Costantini et al, 2008a;Ewalds-Kwist and Selander, 1996). To achieve the same level of oxidative stress, therefore, young LAL mice may up-regulate their antioxidant system, an additional investment that may be costly in later life (Costantini et al, 2008a).…”

“…Costs, in terms of tissue damage and also investment in cellular repair and replacement, accrue under oxidative stress. As such, intraspecific variation in 'oxidative profile' (antioxidants, pro-oxidant capacity, oxidative damage and oxidative stress) often predicts variation in health and longevity (Costantini et al, 2008a;Harman, 1956;Hulbert et al, 2007). An individual's rate of pro-oxidant production is context dependent (Alonso-Alvarez et al, 2004;Monaghan et al, 2009).…”

“…In LAL-SAL mice for example, young LAL mice have a higher antioxidant capacity than SAL mice yet their oxidative stress levels are not lower, and ultimately they have shorter life spans (Costantini et al, 2008a;Ewalds-Kwist and Selander, 1996). To achieve the same level of oxidative stress, therefore, young LAL mice may up-regulate their antioxidant system, an additional investment that may be costly in later life (Costantini et al, 2008a). Cumulative effects of personality are also observed in the 'activity' personality trait, where the most active (hence the most metabolically active) individuals have the shortest lifespan, a finding consistent across a broad taxonomic range (Biro and Stamps, 2008).…”