Limited variation in the major urinary proteins of laboratory mice

Cheetham, Sarah A.; Smith, Abigail L.; Armstrong, Stuart D.; Beynon, Robert J.; Hurst, Jane L.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.10.005

Cited by 127 publications

(176 citation statements)

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“…comparing dam attacks on castrated versus intact males). The overall MUP pattern of CD1 (ICR) mice is similar to inbred strains of the Swiss and Castle lineages (Cheetham et al, 2009). …”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 78%

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From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Martín‐Sánchez

McLean

Beynon

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance, Hormones and Behavior (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT2 AbstractThis paper reviews the role of chemosignals in the socio-sexual interactions of female mice, and reports two experiments testing the role of pup-derived chemosignals and the male sexual pheromone darcin in inducing and promoting maternal aggression. Female mice are attracted to urine-borne male pheromones. Volatile and non-volatile urine fractions have been proposed to contain olfactory and vomeronasal pheromones. In particular, the male-specific major urinary protein (MUP) MUP20, darcin, has been shown to be rewarding and attractive to females. Non-urinary male chemosignals, such as the lacrimal protein ESP1, promote lordosis in female mice, but its attractive properties are still to be tested. There is evidence indicating that ESP1 and MUPs are detected by vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2R).When a female mouse becomes pregnant, she undergoes dramatic changes in her physiology and behaviour. She builds a nest for her pups and takes care of them. Dams also defend the nest against conspecific intruders, attacking especially gonadally intact males. Maternal behaviour is dependent on a functional olfactory system, thus suggesting a role of chemosignals in the development of maternal behaviour. Our first experiment demonstrates, however, that pup chemosignals are not sufficient to induce maternal aggression in virgin females. In addition, it is known that vomeronasal stimuli are needed for maternal aggression.Since MUPs (and other molecules) are able to promote intermale aggression, in our second experiment we test if the attractive MUP darcin also promotes attacks on castrated male intruders by lactating dams. Our findings demonstrate that the same chemosignal, darcin, promotes attraction or aggression according to female reproductive state.

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“…comparing dam attacks on castrated versus intact males). The overall MUP pattern of CD1 (ICR) mice is similar to inbred strains of the Swiss and Castle lineages (Cheetham et al, 2009). …”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Although males from some strains in these lineages do not express darcin (Cheetham et al 2009), CD1 (ICR) males express darcin at approximately 8% of total urinary MUP content (Davidson, Roberts, Hurst and Beynon, unpublished data).…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Martín‐Sánchez

McLean

Beynon

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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“…1C) We predict that promiscuous-line males excrete a greater mass of MUPs per volume of urine, and this value could be influenced by water consumption. Urinary MUP expression is often normalized as a ratio with creatinine, a metabolite of muscular creatine that is converted by a nonenzymatic process proceeding at a constant rate in similarly sized individuals (17,21). However, MUP/creatinine ratios should be interpreted with some caution as we are unaware of experiments determining whether this ratio correlates with total 24-h excreted protein, or whether glomerular and tubular filtration affects MUPs and creatinine similarly (31).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MUPs belong to a multigene family that conveys information about genetic identity and kin relatedness in wild mice (15,16). The quantitative role of MUP expression level also appears to have behavioral relevance: MUPs are expressed in high quantities in a sexually dimorphic fashion, with males expressing roughly four times that of females (17). Several researchers have proposed that such expression is a result of sexual selection.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…This "honest-signal" model predicts that females favor males who can afford high expression despite potential costs (e.g., protein loss or attracting predators and competitors) (18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Although this hypothesis has not been explicitly tested, the observation that MUP concentration declines as mice adapt to captivity (17,23) suggests a possible role of relaxed social and sexual selection. Intriguingly, Mups were the first mammalian locus found to exhibit transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (i.e., resulting from epigenetic modifications passed via the gametes that escape reprogramming) (8,24), but the biological significance of such regulation has not been identified.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Reintroducing domesticated wild mice to sociality induces adaptive transgenerational effects on MUP expression

Nelson

Cauceglia

Merkley

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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When brought into captivity, wild animals can adapt to domestication within 10 generations. Such adaptations may decrease fitness in natural conditions. Many selective pressures are disrupted in captivity, including social behavioral networks. Although lack of sociality in captivity appears to mediate domestication, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Additionally, determining the contribution of genetic inheritance vs. transgenerational effects during relaxed selection may provide insight into the flexibility of adaptation. When wild-derived mice kept under laboratory conditions for eight generations were reintroduced to sociality and promiscuity (free mate choice), they adapted within two generations. Fitness assessments between this promiscuous lineage and a monogamous laboratory lineage revealed malespecific effects. Promiscuous-line males had deficits in viability, but a striking advantage in attracting mates, and their scent marks were also more attractive to females. Here, we investigate mechanistic details underlying this olfactory signal and identify a role of major urinary protein (MUP) pheromones. Promiscuous-line males inherit higher MUP expression than monogamous-line males through transgenerational inheritance. Sociality-driven maternal and paternal effects reveal intriguing conflicts among parents and offspring over pheromone expression. MUP up-regulation is not driven by hormone-driven transduction pathways, but rather is associated with reduction in DNA methylation of a CpG dinucleotide in the promoter. This reduction in methylation could enhance transcription by promoting the binding of transcription factor USF1 (upstream stimulatory factor 1). Finally, we experimentally demonstrate that increased MUP expression is a female attractant. These results identify molecular mechanisms guiding domestication and adaptive responses to fluctuating sociality.social selection | sexy sons | epigenetics W ild animals bred in captivity have been observed to adapt to domestication within 10 generations (1-4). As a result, captive bred animals often have reduced fitness when reintroduced to natural conditions (5). Selective pressures disrupted by captivity include inbreeding avoidance, effective population size, disease exposure, predation, and sexual selection. For the latter example, evidence suggests that lack of social context for mate choice mediates adaptation to captivity (6). This context is especially relevant for social animals because the opportunity for mating success is regulated by hierarchical behavioral networks (i.e., social selection) (7), and this information is missing in captivity. The molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypes affected by lack of social selection are poorly understood. Furthermore, rapid adaptation to captivity raises questions about the roles of genetic inheritance vs. transgenerational effects (i.e., inheritance independent of genetic variation) (8). Resolving the mechanistic and hereditary basis of these transitions can provide insight into the flexibilit...

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The Vomeronasal Organ

Stowers

Spehr

2015

Handbook of Olfaction and Gustation

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Limited variation in the major urinary proteins of laboratory mice

Cited by 127 publications

References 39 publications

From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Reintroducing domesticated wild mice to sociality induces adaptive transgenerational effects on MUP expression

The Vomeronasal Organ

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