Steinberger Daniela, Reynolds David S, Ferris Pushpindar, Lincoln Rachael, Datta Susmita, Stanley Joanna, Paterson Andrea, Dawson Gerard R, Flint Jonathan
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, OX3 7BN, United Kingdom.
J Neurosci. 2003 Mar 15;23(6):2426-33. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-06-02426.2003.
Inbred strains of mice are known to differ in their performance in the Morris water maze task, a test of spatial discrimination and place navigation in rodents, but the genetic basis of individual variation in spatial learning is unknown. We have mapped genetic effects that contribute to the difference between two strains, DBA/2 and C57BL6/J, using an F2 intercross and methods to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL). We found two QTL, one on chromosome 4 and one on chromosome 12, that influence behavior in the probe trial of the water maze (genome-wide significance p = 0.017 and 0.015, respectively). By including tests of avoidance conditioning and behavior in a novel environment, we show that the QTL on chromosomes 4 and 12 specifically influence variation in spatial learning. QTL that influence differences in fearful behavior (on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, 15, and 19) operate while mice are trained in the water maze apparatus.
已知近交系小鼠在莫里斯水迷宫任务中的表现存在差异，该任务用于测试啮齿动物的空间辨别和位置导航能力，但空间学习中个体差异的遗传基础尚不清楚。我们利用F2杂交和检测数量性状位点（QTL）的方法，绘制了导致DBA/2和C57BL6/J这两个品系之间差异的遗传效应图谱。我们发现了两个QTL，一个位于4号染色体上，另一个位于12号染色体上，它们影响水迷宫探测试验中的行为（全基因组显著性p值分别为0.017和0.015）。通过纳入回避条件反射测试和在新环境中的行为测试，我们表明4号和12号染色体上的QTL特异性地影响空间学习的变异。影响恐惧行为差异的QTL（位于1、3、7、15和19号染色体上）在小鼠在水迷宫装置中训练时起作用。
