
Atp1a3‐ deficient heterozygous mice show lower rank in the hierarchy and altered social behavior
Author(s) -
Sugimoto H.,
Ikeda K.,
Kawakami K.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
genes, brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1601-183X
pISSN - 1601-1848
DOI - 10.1111/gbb.12435
Subject(s) - dominance (genetics) , aggression , dominance hierarchy , psychology , endocrinology , medicine , developmental psychology , neuroscience , biology , genetics , gene
Atp1a3 is the Na‐pump alpha3 subunit gene expressed mainly in neurons of the brain. Atp1a3 ‐deficient heterozygous mice ( Atp1a3 +/− ) show altered neurotransmission and deficits of motor function after stress loading. To understand the function of Atp1a3 in a social hierarchy, we evaluated social behaviors (social interaction, aggression, social approach and social dominance) of Atp1a3 +/− and compared the rank and hierarchy structure between Atp1a3 +/− and wild‐type mice within a housing cage using the round‐robin tube test and barbering observations. Formation of a hierarchy decreases social conflict and promote social stability within the group. The hierarchical rank is a reflection of social dominance within a cage, which is heritable and can be regulated by specific genes in mice. Here we report: (1) The degree of social interaction but not aggression was lower in Atp1a3 +/− than wild‐type mice, and Atp1a3 +/− approached Atp1a3 +/− mice more frequently than wild type. (2) The frequency of barbering was lower in the Atp1a3 +/− group than in the wild‐type group, while no difference was observed in the mixed‐genotype housing condition. (3) Hierarchy formation was not different between Atp1a3 +/− and wild type. (4) Atp1a3 +/− showed a lower rank in the mixed‐genotype housing condition than that in the wild type, indicating that Atp1a3 regulates social dominance. In sum, Atp1a3 +/− showed unique social behavior characteristics of lower social interaction and preference to approach the same genotype mice and a lower ranking in the hierarchy.