Genotype modulates the aggression-promoting quality of progesterone in pregnant mice.
During late pregnancy, female mice of the DBA/2J inbred strain are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior toward a standard stimulus intruder male than C57BL/6J females. This strain difference can not be accounted for by differences in circulating levels of progesterone (P) since pregnant DBA/2J and C57BL/6J females exhibit similar patterns of the steroid throughout pregnancy. Upon receiving subcutaneously implanted Silastic capsules containing P, virgin DBA/2J mice are more likely than virgin C57BL/6J to respond to the steroid by exhibiting aggression. Strain differences in the aggressive behavior exhibited by pregnant mice may be related to genotype-based variation in central neural tissue sensitivity to P.
Svare
B
B
Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Albany 12222.
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000235:genetics*; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA / Q000235:genetics*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*
D011374:Progesterone