title: Maternal genotype can influence the outcome of a study on mutant animals.
abstract: The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a crucial role in stress. One of its central regulatory components is arginine-vasopressin (AVP). We studied the role of AVP in acute restraint in AVP-deficient mutant Brattleboro rats (AVP-), but our results were variable. The early life period is important in the later stress reactivity of the animals. We realized that our AVP- pups could be born from AVP+ (heterozygous) or from AVP- mothers. Therefore, we asked whether the genotype of the mother could explain the variability. Adult rats from AVP+ and AVP- mothers were stressed with 60 min of restraint. Trunk blood was collected for measuring hormone content by radioimmunoassay. All offspring of AVP+ mothers had similar adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to restraint, whereas the AVP- rats born to AVP- mothers showed reduced ACTH reactivity. Our results show that the AVP- genotype of the mother can decrease the stress reactivity of AVP- Brattleboro rats. In mutant/knockout animals, family background should be taken into account as well as the genotype of the studied animals.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Medicine, PO Box 67, H-1450 Budapest, Hungary. zelena@koki.hu
authors.forename: Dóra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zelena
authors.forename: Zsuzsa
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mergl
authors.forename: Gábor B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Makara
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011910:Rats, Brattleboro
chemical_list: D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone