Young Article

Question 1

What is the paper topic?

Answer 1

Increased Affiliative Response to Vasopressin in Mice Expressing the V1a Receptor from a Monogamous Vole

Question 2

What is the hypothesis?

Answer 2

Arginine vasopressin will elicit different responses in activity between prairie and montane voles. There will be a difference in the underlying gene regions for vasopressin receptors between prairie and montane voles. Mice will exhibit more V1a receptor binding activity with a prairie vole transgene. Mice exhibit monogamy when in presence of a female partner

Question 3

What were some of the methods?

Answer 3

Receptor autoradiography, behavioural test, molecular analysis

Question 4

What were some of the results?

Answer 4

V1a receptors of the monogamous vole was responsible for the difference in behaviors exhibited between them and the promiscuous montane vole. Gene responsible for production of V1a receptor proteins contain non-coding region involved in differential mating behaviors between species. Inserted this gene into a promiscuous mouse and observed behaviors similar to those of the prairie vole. Inserting arginine vasopressin into these transgenic mice promoted further affiliative behaviors in the presence of a female