PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Social withdrawal is one phenotypic feature of the monogenic neurodevelopmental disorder fragile-X. Using a \'knockout\' rat model of fragile-X, we examined whether deletion of the Fmr1 gene that causes this condition would affect the ability to form and express a social hierarchy as measured in a tube test. Male fragile-X \'knockout\' rats living together could successfully form a social dominance hierarchy, but were significantly subordinate to wild-type animals in mixed group cages. Over 10 days of repeated testing, the fragile-X mutant rats gradually showed greater variance and instability of rank during their tube-test encounters. This affected the outcome of future encounters with stranger animals from other cages, with the initial phenotype of wild-type dominance lost to a more complex picture that reflected, regardless of genotype, the prior experience of winning or losing. Our findings offer a novel insight into the complex dynamics of social interactions between laboratory living groups of fragile-X and wild-type rats. Even though this is a monogenic condition, experience has an impact upon future interactions with other animals. Gene/environment interactions should therefore be considered in the development of therapeutics.
摘要：
社交退缩是单基因神经发育障碍脆性X的一种表型特征。使用脆性X的“敲除”大鼠模型，我们检查了导致这种情况的Fmr1基因的缺失是否会影响在试管试验中测量的形成和表达社会等级的能力。雄性脆弱的X“敲除”老鼠生活在一起可以成功地形成社会支配地位，但在混合组笼子中明显隶属于野生型动物。超过10天的重复测试，脆性X突变大鼠在试管试验期间逐渐显示出更大的变异和等级不稳定性。这影响了将来与其他笼子里的陌生人动物相遇的结果，野生型优势的初始表型失去了更复杂的画面，不管基因型，赢或输的经验。我们的发现为脆性X和野生型大鼠的实验室生活群体之间的社会互动的复杂动态提供了新的见解。尽管这是单基因条件,经验会影响未来与其他动物的互动。因此，在治疗方法的开发中应考虑基因/环境相互作用。
