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Sci Rep

Title:		Galphai2(+) vomeronasal neurons govern the initial outcome of an acute social competition
Author(s):		Palle A; Montero M; Fernandez S; Tezanos P; de Las Heras JA; Luskey V; Birnbaumer L; Zufall F; Chamero P; Trejo JL;
Address:		"Anna Palle. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Marta Montero. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Silvia Fernandez. Cajal Institute, Molecular and Cellular Biology Unit, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Patricia Tezanos. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Juan A. de las Heras. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Valerie Luskey. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. Lutz Birnbaumer. Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, NC, 27709, USA. Institute of Biomedical Research (BIOMED), School of Medical Sciences, Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires, C1107AAZ, Argentina. Frank Zufall. Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421, Homburg, Germany. Pablo Chamero. Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 0085 INRAE-CNRS-IFCE-University of Tours, Nouzilly, 37380, France. Jose Luis Trejo. Cajal Institute, Dept Translational Neuroscience, CSIC, Madrid, 28002, Spain. jltrejo@cajal.csic.es"
Journal Title:		Sci Rep
Year:		2020
Volume:		20200121
Issue:		1
Page Number:		894 -
DOI:		10.1038/s41598-020-57765-6
ISSN/ISBN:		2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Pheromone detection by the vomeronasal organ (VNO) mediates important social behaviors across different species, including aggression and sexual behavior. However, the relationship between vomeronasal function and social hierarchy has not been analyzed reliably. We evaluated the role of pheromone detection by receptors expressed in the apical layer of the VNO such as vomeronasal type 1 receptors (V1R) in dominance behavior by using a conditional knockout mouse for G protein subunit Galphai2, which is essential for V1R signaling. We used the tube test as a model to analyze the within-a-cage hierarchy in male mice, but also as a paradigm of novel territorial competition in animals from different cages. In absence of prior social experience, Galphai2 deletion promotes winning a novel social competition with an unfamiliar control mouse but had no effect on an established hierarchy in cages with mixed genotypes, both Galphai2(-/-) and controls. To further dissect social behavior of Galphai2(-/-) mice, we performed a 3-chamber sociability assay and found that mutants had a slightly altered social investigation. Finally, gene expression analysis in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for a subset of genes previously linked to social status revealed no differences between group-housed Galphai2(-/-) and controls. Our results reveal a direct influence of pheromone detection on territorial dominance, indicating that olfactory communication involving apical VNO receptors like V1R is important for the outcome of an initial social competition between two unfamiliar male mice, whereas final social status acquired within a cage remains unaffected. These results support the idea that previous social context is relevant for the development of social hierarchy of a group. Overall, our data identify two context-dependent forms of dominance, acute and chronic, and that pheromone signaling through V1R receptors is involved in the first stages of a social competition but in the long term is not predictive for high social ranks on a hierarchy"
Keywords:		"Animals Behavior, Animal Competitive Behavior/*physiology GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunit, Gi2/*genetics/metabolism Gene Expression Regulation Male Mice, Inbred C57BL Mice, Knockout Neurons/physiology Pheromones Prefrontal Cortex/*physiology Social Domi;neuroscience;"
Notes:		"MedlinePalle, Anna Montero, Marta Fernandez, Silvia Tezanos, Patricia de Las Heras, Juan A Luskey, Valerie Birnbaumer, Lutz Zufall, Frank Chamero, Pablo Trejo, Jose Luis eng Z01 ES101643/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2020/01/23 Sci Rep. 2020 Jan 21; 10(1):894. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-57765-6"