Differences in the number of arginine-vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons exist in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of house mice selected for differences in nest-building behavior.
Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is a homeostatic modulator of body temperature during fever and may also be involved in normal body temperature control. In the present study the hypothalamus of mice bi-directionally selected for thermoregulatory nest-building behavior was immunocytochemically labeled for AVP. The low-selected mice had a 1.5-fold higher number of AVP-immunoreactive neurons in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) compared to the unselected control and the high-selected mice. No differences between the selected lines could be detected in the number of AVP-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei (PVN). The neuroanatomical data suggest a possible role of AVP in the SCN and control of thermoregulatory nest-building behavior. Our selected mice may prove to be a model system to study the role of AVP in the SCN.
Bult
A
A
Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459-0170.
van der Zee
E A
EA
Compaan
J C
JC
Lynch
C B
CB
D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000032:analysis*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
D001127:Arginine Vasopressin