Wild-derived mouse stocks: an underappreciated tool for aging research

Abstract

Virtually all biomedical research makes use of a relatively small pool of laboratory-adapted, inbred, isogenic stocks of mice. Although the advantages of these models are many, there are a number of disadvantages as well. When studying a multifaceted process such as aging, the problems associated with using laboratory stocks are greatly inflated. On the other hand, wild-derived mouse stocks, loosely defined here as either wild-caught individuals or the recent progeny of wild-caught individuals, have much to offer to biogerontology research. Hence, the aims of this review are threefold: (1) to (re)acquaint readers with the pros and cons of using a typical inbred laboratory mouse model for aging research; (2) to reintroduce the notion of using wild-derived mouse stocks in aging research as championed by Austad, Miller and others for more than a decade, and (3) to provide an overview of recent advances in biogerontology using wildderived mouse stocks.

Is oxidative stress a physiological cost of reproduction? An experimental test in house mice

“…Further, it has been demonstrated in laboratory rats that physiological changes occur to aid fat and carbohydrate metabolism [56] and metabolic activity per unit mass increases in specific tissues, including the liver [57], where we observed substantial decreases in markers of oxidative damage. While laboratory strains have been subject to selection for larger litter sizes than those of wild mice [58], recently derived mice from the wild still double their food intake during lactation ( [34]; present study), and have increased resting metabolic rates [59], suggesting that their increase in metabolism is also substantial. Our results suggest that females alter aspects of their physiology during lactation to limit oxidative damage occurring as a consequence of these metabolic changes.…”

Mapping ecologically relevant social behaviours by gene knockout in wild mice

“…Furthermore, it was suggested that genetically modifiable strains derived from wild house mice might serve as useful models, especially for experimental work in behavioural and brain sciences 30 . Thus, findings obtained from studies in wild-derived stocks might provide valuable opportunities to unravel the relationships between genotype and complex natural phenotypic traits that are reduced or even absent in domesticated stocks 10,14 , for example agonist behaviours in males and females, resistance to capture by humans (reviewed in ref. 13), activity levels 31 and immune function 32 .…”

“…In addition, most laboratory mouse strains are the product of decades of artificial selection, both deliberate and inadvertent, that selected specific traits promoting reproductive success under laboratory conditions. For example, deliberate human selection interfered with locomotion, as well as with social and reproductive traits such as biting, aggressive conspecific competition, avoidance of mating with close relatives and fleeing/ freezing predatory responses, that had evolved to maximize fitness in the natural environment 10,[13][14][15][16] . Furthermore, captive mice in standard laboratory conditions are deprived of normal social context and lack social/reproductive pressures.…”

Evolution of Senescence in Nature: Physiological Evolution in Populations of Garter Snake with Divergent Life Histories

“…Researchers of aging recognize the value of wild-derived models of aging (Harper et al 2006;Harper 2008;Ungvari et al 2008) and studies of senescence in nature (for vertebrates, primarily on mammals and birds; Bergeron et al 2008;Nussey et al 2008;Bouwhuis et al 2009;reviewed in Ricklefs 2008). Whereas the former category has revealed genetic variation for life span that apparently has been lost in laboratory stocks, the latter has confirmed that senescence is common in the wild, and in many cases, causative variables can be identified, such as differentialmortality environments envisioned by Williams (1957) and Hamilton (1966).…”