Cross-fostering as a means to study kin recognition

The effects of kin recognition on estrus and breeding in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) were investigated in the laboratory using a cross-fostering method. Nonsiblings reared apart produced significantly more litters than siblings or nonsiblings reared together. These results may support the hypothesis that familiarity through association before weaning plays an important role in kin recognition. On the other hand, nonsiblings reared apart produced significantly more litters than siblings reared apart. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in number of litters between siblings reared apart and siblings reared together. These observations show that phenotype-matching mechanisms of kin recognition may operate in conjunction with familiarity in kin recognition in this species. Through observing the vaginal cytology of female mandarin voles paired with different males in different rearing conditions, it was found that females paired with familiar males (through association before weaning) produced significantly fewer estrous smears than females paired with unfamiliar males (reared by different parents before weaning), regardless of genetic relatedness. Thus, using vaginal cytology as an indicator of estrus, it was found that familiarity through association before weaning may retard the first estrus of female mandarin voles.

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Rethinking cross-fostering designs for studying kin recognition mechanisms

Animal Behaviour ◽

10.1006/anbe.2000.1625 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 503-505 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Josephine Todrank ◽

Giora Heth

Keyword(s):

Kin Recognition ◽

Cross Fostering ◽

Kin Recognition Mechanisms

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Kin Recognition

10.1017/cbo9780511525414 ◽

1991 ◽

Cited By ~ 112

Keyword(s):

Kin Recognition

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The evolved psychology of kin recognition, and why it matters

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633962013-014 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Mark Schaller ◽

Justin H. Park

Keyword(s):

Kin Recognition

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Kin recognition within a seed and the effect of genetic relatedness of an endosperm to its compatriot embryo on maize seed development.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.717973137.793471234 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Wagner ◽

Peter Szövényi

Keyword(s):

Seed Development ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

Kin Recognition ◽

Maize Seed

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Effects of cross-fostering and developmental exposure to mixtures of environmental contaminants on hepatic gene expression in prepubertal 21 days old and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A ◽

10.1080/15287394.2018.1542360 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

pp. 1-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Desaulniers ◽

N. Khan ◽

C. Cummings-Lorbetskie ◽

K. Leingartner ◽

G-H. Xiao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Adult Male ◽

Environmental Contaminants ◽

Hepatic Gene Expression ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Developmental Exposure ◽

Sprague Dawley Rats ◽

Cross Fostering

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Maternal Style Selectively Shapes Amygdalar Development and Social Behavior in Rats Genetically Prone to High Anxiety

Developmental Neuroscience ◽

10.1159/000374108 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 203-214 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Joshua L. Cohen ◽

Matthew E. Glover ◽

Phyllis C. Pugh ◽

Andrew D. Fant ◽

Rebecca K. Simmons ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Early Life ◽

Developmental Trajectory ◽

Emotional Behavior ◽

Developmental Gene ◽

Developmental Gene Expression ◽

Maternal Style ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Cross Fostering

The early-life environment critically influences neurodevelopment and later psychological health. To elucidate neural and environmental elements that shape emotional behavior, we developed a rat model of individual differences in temperament and environmental reactivity. We selectively bred rats for high versus low behavioral response to novelty and found that high-reactive (bred high-responder, bHR) rats displayed greater risk-taking, impulsivity and aggression relative to low-reactive (bred low-responder, bLR) rats, which showed high levels of anxiety/depression-like behavior and certain stress vulnerability. The bHR/bLR traits are heritable, but prior work revealed bHR/bLR maternal style differences, with bLR dams showing more maternal attention than bHRs. The present study implemented a cross-fostering paradigm to examine the contribution of maternal behavior to the brain development and emotional behavior of bLR offspring. bLR offspring were reared by biological bLR mothers or fostered to a bLR or bHR mother and then evaluated to determine the effects on the following: (1) developmental gene expression in the hippocampus and amygdala and (2) adult anxiety/depression-like behavior. Genome-wide expression profiling showed that cross-fostering bLR rats to bHR mothers shifted developmental gene expression in the amygdala (but not hippocampus), reduced adult anxiety and enhanced social interaction. Our findings illustrate how an early-life manipulation such as cross-fostering changes the brain's developmental trajectory and ultimately impacts adult behavior. Moreover, while earlier studies highlighted hippocampal differences contributing to the bHR/bLR phenotypes, our results point to a role of the amygdala as well. Future work will pursue genetic and cellular mechanisms within the amygdala that contribute to bHR/bLR behavior either at baseline or following environmental manipulations.

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PRKAR2A deficiency protects mice from experimental colitis by increasing IFN-stimulated gene expression and modulating the intestinal microbiota

Mucosal Immunology ◽

10.1038/s41385-021-00426-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lumin Wei ◽

Rongjing Zhang ◽

Jinzhao Zhang ◽

Juanjuan Li ◽

Deping Kong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Experimental Colitis ◽

Regulatory Subunit ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Intestinal Epithelial ◽

Catalytic Subunits ◽

Regulatory Subunits ◽

Pka Regulatory Subunit ◽

Cross Fostering ◽

Specific Deletion

AbstractProtein kinase A (PKA) plays an important role in regulating inflammation via its catalytic subunits. Recently, PKA regulatory subunits have been reported to directly modulate some signaling pathways and alleviate inflammation. However, the role of PKA regulatory subunits in colonic inflammation remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate the role of the PKA regulatory subunit PRKAR2A in colitis. We observed that PRKAR2A deficiency protected mice from dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis. Our experiments revealed that the intestinal epithelial cell-specific deletion of Prkar2a contributed to this protection. Mechanistically, the loss of PRKAR2A in Prkar2a−/− mice resulted in an increased IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression and altered gut microbiota. Inhibition of ISGs partially reversed the protective effects against DSS-induced colitis in Prkar2a−/− mice. Antibiotic treatment and cross-fostering experiments demonstrated that the protection against DSS-induced colitis in Prkar2a−/− mice was largely dependent on the gut microflora. Altogether, our work demonstrates a previously unidentified function of PRKAR2A in promoting DSS-induced colitis.

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