RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Defensive and offensive behaviors in social interaction settings in a Kleefstra syndrome mouse model
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.02.03.478985
DO 10.1101/2022.02.03.478985
A1 Alonso, Alejandra
A1 Samanta, Anumita
A1 van der Meij, Jacqueline
A1 van den Brand, Liz
A1 Negwer, Moritz
A1 Lobato, Irene Navarro
A1 Genzel, Lisa
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/02/06/2022.02.03.478985.abstract
AB Kleefstra syndrome in humans is characterized by general delay in development, intellectual disability and autistic features. The mouse model of this disease (Ehmt1+/-) expresses anxiety, autistic-like traits, and aberrant social interactions with non-cagemates. To investigate how Ehmt1+/- mice behave with unfamiliar conspecifics, we allowed adult, male animals to freely interact for 10 minutes in a neutral, novel environment within a host-visitor setting. In 17 out of 74 trials there were defensive and offensive behaviors. Our key finding was that Ehmt1+/- mice displayed defensive postures, attacking and biting; in contrast, wild-type (WT) interacting with other WT did not enact such behaviors. Further, if there was a fight between an Ehmt1+/- and a WT mouse, it was always the Ehmt1+/- who initiated these behaviors.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.