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comparative postnatal histomorphogenesis of the mandible in wild and laboratory mice.the coordinated activity of bone cells (i.e., osteoblasts and osteoclasts) during ontogeny underlies observed changes in bone growth rates (recorded in bone histology and bone microstructure) and bone remodeling patterns explaining the ontogenetic variation in bone size and shape. histological cross-sections of the mandible in the c57bl/6j inbred mouse strain were recently examined in order to analyze the bone microstructure, as well as the directions and rates of bone growth according to the pa ...201828935565
no speed dating please! patterns of social preference in male and female house mice.in many animal species, interactions between individuals of different sex often occur in the context of courtship and mating. during these interactions, a specific mating partner can be chosen. by discriminating potential mates according to specific characteristics, individuals can increase their evolutionary fitness in terms of reproduction and offspring survival. in this study, we monitored the partner preference behaviour of female and male wild house mice (mus musculus domesticus) from popul ...201728747988
no evidence for punishment in communally nursing female house mice (mus musculus domesticus).punishment is claimed as an important mechanism to stabilise costly cooperation in humans, but its importance in social animals has been questioned recently due to both conceptual considerations and a lack of empirical evidence (only few published studies). we empirically tested whether there is evidence for punishment in communally nursing house mice (mus musculus domesticus, direct descendants of "wild" animals). communally breeding females pool their litters and raise all offspring together, ...201728640850
do changes in gene expression contribute to sexual isolation and reinforcement in the house mouse?expression divergence, rather than sequence divergence, has been shown to be important in speciation, particularly in the early stages of divergence of traits involved in reproductive isolation. in the two european subspecies of house mice, mus musculus musculus and mus musculus domesticus, earlier studies have demonstrated olfactory-based assortative mate preference in populations close to their hybrid zone. it has been suggested that this behaviour evolved following the recent secondary contac ...201728626946
genetics of genome-wide recombination rate evolution in mice from an isolated island.recombination rate is a heritable quantitative trait that evolves despite the fundamentally conserved role that recombination plays in meiosis. differences in recombination rate can alter the landscape of the genome and the genetic diversity of populations. yet our understanding of the genetic basis of recombination rate evolution in nature remains limited. we used wild house mice (mus musculus domesticus) from gough island (gi), which diverged recently from their mainland counterparts, to chara ...201728576862
analysis of copy number variation in the abp gene regions of two house mouse subspecies suggests divergence during the gene family expansions.the androgen-binding protein ( abp ) gene region of the mouse genome contains 64 genes, some encoding pheromones that influence assortative mating between mice from different subspecies. using cnvnator and quantitative pcr, we explored copy number variation in this gene family in natural populations of mus musculus domesticus ( mmd ) and mus musculus musculus ( mmm ), two subspecies of house mice that form a narrow hybrid zone in central europe. we found that copy number variation in the center ...201728575204
postnatal mandible growth in wild and laboratory mice: differences revealed from bone remodeling patterns and geometric morphometrics.comparative information on the variation in the temporospatial patterning of mandible growth in wild and laboratory mice during early postnatal ontogeny is scarce but important to understand variation among wild rodent populations. here, we compare mandible growth between two ontogenetic series from the second to the eighth week of postnatal life, corresponding to two different groups of mice reared under the same conditions: the classical inbred strain c57bl/6j, and mus musculus domesticus. we ...201728503758
nuclear architecture of mouse spermatocytes: chromosome topology, heterochromatin, and nucleolus.the nuclear organization of spermatocytes in meiotic prophase i is primarily determined by the synaptic organization of the bivalents that are bound by their telomeres to the nuclear envelope and described as arc-shaped trajectories through the 3d nuclear space. however, over this basic meiotic organization, a spermatocyte nuclear architecture arises that is based on higher-ordered patterns of spatial associations among chromosomal domains from different bivalents that are conditioned by the ind ...201728494440
chromosome 1 sequence analysis of c57bl/6j-chr1km mouse strain.the chinese kunming (km) mouse is a widely used outbred mouse stock in china. however, its genetic structure remains unclear. in this study, we sequenced the genome of the c57bl/6j-chr1km (b6-chr1km) strain, the chromosome 1 (chr 1) of which was derived from one km mouse. with 36.6× average coverage of the entire genome, 0.48 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) and 96,679 indels were detected on chr 1 through comparison with reference strain c57bl/6j. moreover, 46,590 of them were cla ...201728487860
the comparative immunology of wild and laboratory mice, mus musculus domesticus.the laboratory mouse is the workhorse of immunology, used as a model of mammalian immune function, but how well immune responses of laboratory mice reflect those of free-living animals is unknown. here we comprehensively characterize serological, cellular and functional immune parameters of wild mice and compare them with laboratory mice, finding that wild mouse cellular immune systems are, comparatively, in a highly activated (primed) state. associations between immune parameters and infection ...201728466840
adaptative evolution of the vkorc1 gene in mus musculus domesticus is influenced by the selective pressure of anticoagulant rodenticides.anticoagulant rodenticides are commonly used to control rodent pests worldwide. they specifically inhibit the vitamin k epoxide reductase (vkorc1), which is an enzyme encoded by the vkorc1 gene, involved in the recycling of vitamin k. therefore, they prevent blood clotting. numerous mutations of vkorc1 gene were reported in rodents, and some are involved in the resistant to rodenticides phenotype. two hundred and sixty-six mice tails were received from 65 different locations in france. coding se ...201728428867
genetic structure and invasion history of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) in senegal, west africa: a legacy of colonial and contemporary times.knowledge of the genetic make-up and demographic history of invasive populations is critical to understand invasion mechanisms. commensal rodents are ideal models to study whether complex invasion histories are typical of introductions involving human activities. the house mouse mus musculus domesticus is a major invasive synanthropic rodent originating from south-west asia. it has been largely studied in europe and on several remote islands, but the genetic structure and invasion history of thi ...201728353686
molecular heterogeneity in major urinary proteins of mus musculus subspecies: potential candidates involved in speciation.when hybridisation carries a cost, natural selection is predicted to favour evolution of traits that allow assortative mating (reinforcement). incipient speciation between the two european house mouse subspecies, mus musculus domesticus and m.m.musculus, sharing a hybrid zone, provides an opportunity to understand evolution of assortative mating at a molecular level. mouse urine odours allow subspecific mate discrimination, with assortative preferences evident in the hybrid zone but not in allop ...201728337988
meiotic consequences of genetic divergence across the murine pseudoautosomal region.the production of haploid gametes during meiosis is dependent on the homology-driven processes of pairing, synapsis, and recombination. on the mammalian heterogametic sex chromosomes, these key meiotic activities are confined to the pseudoautosomal region (par), a short region of near-perfect sequence homology between the x and y chromosomes. despite its established importance for meiosis, the par is rapidly evolving, raising the question of how proper x/y segregation is buffered against the acc ...201728100589
recombination rate variation in mice from an isolated island.recombination rate is a heritable trait that varies among individuals. despite the major impact of recombination rate on patterns of genetic diversity and the efficacy of selection, natural variation in this phenotype remains poorly characterized. we present a comparison of genetic maps, sampling 1212 meioses, from a unique population of wild house mice (mus musculus domesticus) that recently colonized remote gough island. crosses to a mainland reference strain (wsb/eij) reveal pervasive variati ...201727864900
variation and evolution of the meiotic requirement for crossing over in mammals.the segregation of homologous chromosomes at the first meiotic division is dependent on the presence of at least one well-positioned crossover per chromosome. in some mammalian species, however, the genomic distribution of crossovers is consistent with a more stringent baseline requirement of one crossover per chromosome arm. given that the meiotic requirement for crossing over defines the minimum frequency of recombination necessary for the production of viable gametes, determining the chromoso ...201727838628
whole genome sequence of two wild-derived mus musculus domesticus inbred strains, lewes/eij and zalende/eij, with different diploid numbers.wild-derived mouse inbred strains are becoming increasingly popular for complex traits analysis, evolutionary studies, and systems genetics. here, we report the whole-genome sequencing of two wild-derived mouse inbred strains, lewes/eij and zalende/eij, of mus musculus domesticus origin. these two inbred strains were selected based on their geographic origin, karyotype, and use in ongoing research. we generated 14× and 18× coverage sequence, respectively, and discovered over 1.1 million novel va ...201627765810
a half-century of studies on a chromosomal hybrid zone of the house mouse.the first natural chromosomal variation in the house mouse was described nearly 50 years ago in val poschiavo on the swiss side of the swiss-italian border in the central eastern alps. studies have extended into neighboring valtellina, and the house mice of the poschiavo-valtellina area have been subject to detailed analysis, reviewed here. the maximum extent of this area is 70 km, yet it has 4 metacentric races and the standard 40-chromosome telocentric race distributed in a patchwork fashion. ...201727729448
genetics of skeletal evolution in unusually large mice from gough island.organisms on islands often undergo rapid morphological evolution, providing a platform for understanding mechanisms of phenotypic change. many examples of evolution on islands involve the vertebrate skeleton. although the genetic basis of skeletal variation has been studied in laboratory strains, especially in the house mouse mus musculus domesticus, the genetic determinants of skeletal evolution in natural populations remain poorly understood. we used house mice living on the remote gough islan ...201627694627
empirical demonstration of hybrid chromosomal races in house mice.western house mice (mus musculus domesticus) and common shrews (sorex araneus) are important models for study of chromosomal speciation. both had ancestral karyotypes consisting of telocentric chromosomes, and each is subdivided into numerous chromosomal races many of which have resulted from fixation of new mutations (robertsonian fusions and whole-arm reciprocal translocations). however, some chromosomal races in both species may alternatively have originated through hybridization, with partic ...201627287407
craniofacial shape transition across the house mouse hybrid zone: implications for the genetic architecture and evolution of between-species differences.craniofacial shape differences between taxa have often been linked to environmental adaptation, e.g., new food sources, or have been studied in the context of domestication. evidence for the genetic basis of such phenotypic differences to date suggests that between-species as well as between-population variation has an oligogenic basis, i.e., few loci of large effect explain most of the variation. in mice, it has been shown that within-population craniofacial variation has a highly polygenic bas ...201627216933
genetic differentiation within and away from the chromosomal rearrangements characterising hybridising chromosomal races of the western house mouse (mus musculus domesticus).the importance of chromosomal rearrangements for speciation can be inferred from studies of genetic exchange between hybridising chromosomal races within species. reduced fertility or recombination suppression in karyotypic hybrids has the potential to maintain or promote genetic differentiation in genomic regions near rearrangement breakpoints. we studied genetic exchange between two hybridising groups of chromosomal races of house mouse in upper valtellina (lombardy, italy), using microsatelli ...201627048372
speeding up growth: selection for mass-independent maximal metabolic rate alters growth rates.investigations into relationships between life-history traits, such as growth rate and energy metabolism, typically focus on basal metabolic rate (bmr). in contrast, investigators rarely examine maximal metabolic rate (mmr) as a relevant metric of energy metabolism, even though it indicates the maximal capacity to metabolize energy aerobically, and hence it might also be important in trade-offs. we studied the relationship between energy metabolism and growth in mice (mus musculus domesticus lin ...201626913943
chromosomal rearrangements, phenotypic variation and modularity: a case study from a contact zone between house mouse robertsonian races in central italy.the western european house mouse, mus musculus domesticus, is well-known for the high frequency of robertsonian fusions that have rapidly produced more than 50 karyotipic races, making it an ideal model for studying the mechanisms of chromosomal speciation. the mouse mandible is one of the traits studied most intensively to investigate the effect of robertsonian fusions on phenotypic variation within and between populations. this complex bone structure has also been widely used to study the leve ...201626855768
phylogeny and adaptation shape the teeth of insular mice.by accompanying human travels since prehistorical times, the house mouse dispersed widely throughout the world, and colonized many islands. the origin of the travellers determined the phylogenetic source of the insular mice, which encountered diverse ecological and environmental conditions on the various islands. insular mice are thus an exceptional model to disentangle the relative role of phylogeny, ecology and climate in evolution. molar shape is known to vary according to phylogeny and to re ...201626842576
generation of xenomitochondrial embryonic stem cells for the production of live xenomitochondrial mice.the unique features of the mitochondrial genome, such as its high copy number and lack of defined mechanisms of recombination, have hampered efforts to manipulate its sequence to create specific mutations in mouse mtdna. as such, the generation of in vivo mouse models of mtdna disease has proved technically challenging. this chapter describes a unique approach to create mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (oxphos) defects in mouse es cells by transferring mtdna from different murid species i ...201626530681
sperm competition risk drives plasticity in seminal fluid composition.ejaculates contain a diverse mixture of sperm and seminal fluid proteins, the combination of which is crucial to male reproductive success under competitive conditions. males should therefore tailor the production of different ejaculate components according to their social environment, with particular sensitivity to cues of sperm competition risk (i.e. how likely it is that females will mate promiscuously). here we test this hypothesis using an established vertebrate model system, the house mous ...201526507392
shaking the myth: body mass, aggression, steroid hormones, and social dominance in wild house mouse.in social mammals, the position of a male in the group's hierarchy strongly affects his reproductive success. since a high social rank is often gained through competition with other males, selection should favour bigger males over smaller ones. we may therefore predict faster growth and/or delayed sexual maturity in dominant males. likewise, dominants should have higher levels of testosterone, hormone important in many aspects of male dominance. less obvious is the relationship between dominance ...201526433061
new metacentric populations and phylogenetic hypotheses involving whole-arm reciprocal translocation in mus musculus domesticus from sicily, southern italy.the house mouse mus musculus domesticus is characterized by more than 100 metacentric populations, due to the occurrence of robertsonian (rb) fusions, together with the standard all-telocentric karyotype (2n = 40). we examined g-banded karyotypes of 18 mice from 10 localities in sicily and describe 3 new metacentric populations: 'ragusa ibla' (irag), 2n = 33-36, rb(2.4), rb(5.6), rb(9.16), rb(13.17); 'piana degli albanesi' (ipia), 2n = 23, rb(1.18), rb(2.15), rb(3.5), rb(4.12), rb(6.11), rb(7.8) ...201526361346
[the role of hybrid zones in speciation: a case study on chromosome races of the house mouse mus domesticus and common shrew sorex araneus].although diverse complexes of chromosome races are of rather rare occurrence in mammals, that does not reduce its importance to insignificant phenomenon not worthy of studying as some unique case without direct analogy. moreover, these complexes present virtually ideal models for estimation of the impact of hybridization on the process of microevolution. the chromosome races are characterized by almost zero level of genetic differentiation and well-defined distinctions, usually induced by chromo ...201526353396
olfactory assessment of competitors to the nest site: an experiment on a passerine species.since most avian species have been considered anosmic or microsmatic, olfaction and associated behavioural patterns have hardly been investigated. most importantly, empirical data on avian olfaction is not equally distributed among species. initial investigations focused on species with relatively big olfactory bulbs because they were thought to have better olfactory capabilities. hence, in this study we tested the ability of house sparrows (passer domesticus) to use chemical cues as parameters ...201627936093
effects of strain and species on the septo-temporal distribution of adult neurogenesis in rodents.the functional septo-temporal (dorso-ventral) differentiation of the hippocampus is accompanied by gradients of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (ahn) in laboratory rodents. an extensive septal ahn in laboratory mice suggests an emphasis on a relation of ahn to tasks that also depend on the septal hippocampus. domestication experiments indicate that ahn dynamics along the longitudinal axis are subject to selective pressure, questioning if the septal emphasis of ahn in laboratory mice is a rule app ...201729311796
serological survey of zoonotic viruses in invasive and native commensal rodents in senegal, west africa.increasing studies on rodent-borne diseases still highlight the major role of rodents as reservoirs of numerous zoonoses of which the frequency is likely to increase worldwide as a result of accelerated anthropogenic changes, including biological invasions. such a situation makes pathogen detection in rodent populations important, especially in the context of developing countries characterized by high infectious disease burden. here, we used indirect fluorescent antibody tests to describe the ci ...201728873024
ultrasonic vocalizations of male mice differ among species and females show assortative preferences for male calls.male house mice (mus musculus) emit ultrasonic vocalizations (usvs) during courtship, which attract females, and we aimed to test whether females use these vocalizations for species or subspecies recognition of potential mates. we recorded courtship usvs of males from different mus species, mus musculus subspecies, and populations (f1 offspring of wild-caught mus musculus musculus, mus musculus domesticus (and f1 hybrid crosses), and mus spicilegus), and we conducted playback experiments to meas ...201526309246
speciation and reduced hybrid female fertility in house mice.in mammals, intrinsic postzygotic isolation has been well studied in males but has been less studied in females, despite the fact that female gametogenesis and pregnancy provide arenas for hybrid sterility or inviability that are absent in males. here, we asked whether inviability or sterility is observed in female hybrids of mus musculus domesticus and m. m. musculus, taxa which hybridize in nature and for which male sterility has been well characterized. we looked for parent-of-origin growth p ...201526299202
endogenous murine leukemia retroviral variation across wild european and inbred strains of house mouse.endogenous murine leukemia retroviruses (mlvs) are high copy number proviral elements difficult to comprehensively characterize using standard low throughput sequencing approaches. however, high throughput approaches generate data that is challenging to process, interpret and present.201526282858
the gut microbiota of wild mice.the gut microbiota profoundly affects the biology of its host. the composition of the microbiota is dynamic and is affected by both host genetic and many environmental effects. the gut microbiota of laboratory mice has been studied extensively, which has uncovered many of the effects that the microbiota can have. this work has also shown that the environments of different research institutions can affect the mouse microbiota. there has been relatively limited study of the microbiota of wild mice ...201526258484
colonization history shaped the immunity of the western house mouse.the general development of immune response in the short and long term is a product of the antigenic environment in which a species resides. colonization of a novel antigenic environment by a species would be expected to alter the immune system. animals that successfully adapt their immune responses will successfully colonize new locations. however, founder events associated with colonization by limited numbers of individuals from a source population will constrain adaptability. how these contrad ...201526205199
the pace of hybrid incompatibility evolution in house mice.hybrids between species are often sterile or inviable. this form of reproductive isolation is thought to evolve via the accumulation of mutations that interact to reduce fitness when combined in hybrids. mathematical formulations of this "dobzhansky-muller model" predict an accelerating buildup of hybrid incompatibilities with divergence time (the "snowball effect"). although the dobzhansky-muller model is widely accepted, the snowball effect has only been tested in two species groups. we evalua ...201526199234
genetics of rapid and extreme size evolution in island mice.organisms on islands provide a revealing window into the process of adaptation. populations that colonize islands often evolve substantial differences in body size from their mainland relatives. although the ecological drivers of this phenomenon have received considerable attention, its genetic basis remains poorly understood. we use house mice (subspecies: mus musculus domesticus) from remote gough island to provide a genetic portrait of rapid and extreme size evolution. in just a few hundred g ...201526199233
divergence patterns of genic copy number variation in natural populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) reveal three conserved genes with major population-specific expansions.copy number variation represents a major source of genetic divergence, yet the evolutionary dynamics of genic copy number variation in natural populations during differentiation and adaptation remain unclear. we applied a read depth approach to genome resequencing data to detect copy number variants (cnvs) ≥1 kb in wild-caught mice belonging to four populations of mus musculus domesticus. we complemented the bioinformatics analyses with experimental validation using droplet digital pcr. the spec ...201526149421
genetic and phenotypic influences on copulatory plug survival in mice.across a diversity of animals, male seminal fluid coagulates upon ejaculation to form a hardened structure known as a copulatory plug. previous studies suggest that copulatory plugs evolved as a mechanism for males to impede remating by females, but detailed investigations into the time course over which plugs survive in the female's reproductive tract are lacking. here, we cross males from eight inbred strains to females from two inbred strains of house mice (mus musculus domesticus). plug surv ...201526103947
quantitative changes in gimap3 and gimap5 expression modify mitochondrial dna segregation in mice.mammalian mitochondrial dna (mtdna) is a high-copy maternally inherited genome essential for aerobic energy metabolism. mutations in mtdna can lead to heteroplasmy, the co-occurence of two different mtdna variants in the same cell, which can segregate in a tissue-specific manner affecting the onset and severity of mitochondrial dysfunction. to investigate mechanisms regulating mtdna segregation we use a heteroplasmic mouse model with two polymorphic neutral mtdna haplotypes (nzb and balb) that d ...201525808953
effect of the y chromosome on testis weight in mice.we investigated the effect of the y chromosome on testis weight in (b6.cg-a(y) × y-consomic mouse strain) f1 male mice. we obtained the following results: (1) mice with the mus musculus domesticus-type y chromosome had significantly heavier testis than those with the m. m. musculus-type y chromosome. (2) variations in usp9y and the number of cag repeats in sry were significantly associated with testes weight. the a(y) allele was correlated with a reduced testis weight, and the extent of this red ...201525716571
maternal-foetal genomic conflict and speciation: no evidence for hybrid placental dysplasia in crosses between two house mouse subspecies.interspecific hybridization between closely related mammalian species, including various species of the genus mus, is commonly associated with abnormal growth of the placenta and hybrid foetuses, a phenomenon known as hybrid placental dysplasia (hpd). the role of hpd in speciation is anticipated but still poorly understood. here, we studied placental and foetal growth in f1 crosses between four inbred mouse strains derived from two house mouse subspecies, mus musculus musculus and mus musculus d ...201525682889
correction: a role for ultrasonic vocalisation in social communication and divergence of natural populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus).[this corrects the article doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097244.].201525635773
sperm morphology in two house mouse subspecies: do wild-derived strains and wild mice tell the same story?being subject to intense post-copulatory selection, sperm size is a principal determining component of male fitness. although previous studies have presented comparative sperm size data at higher taxonomic levels, information on the evolution of sperm size within species is generally lacking. here, we studied two house mouse subspecies, mus musculus musculus and mus musculus domesticus, which undergo incipient speciation. we measured four sperm dimensions from cauda epididymis smears of 28 wild- ...201425541964
interspecific introgressive origin of genomic diversity in the house mouse.we report on a genome-wide scan for introgression between the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) and the algerian mouse (mus spretus), using samples from the ranges of sympatry and allopatry in africa and europe. our analysis reveals wide variability in introgression signatures along the genomes, as well as across the samples. we find that fewer than half of the autosomes in each genome harbor all detectable introgression, whereas the x chromosome has none. further, european mice carry more m ...201525512534
socially mediated polyandry: a new benefit of communal nesting in mammals.in many species, females have evolved behavioral strategies to reduce the risk of infanticide. for instance, polyandry can create paternity confusion that inhibits males from killing offspring they could have sired. here, the authors propose that females could socially obtain the same benefits by nesting communally. singly sired litters could be perceived as a large multiply sired litter once pooled together in a single nest. long-term data from a wild house mouse population showed that monandro ...201425419087
non-random occurrence of robertsonian translocations in the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus): is it related to quantitative variation in the minor satellite?the house mouse, mus musculus domesticus, shows extraordinary chromosomal diversity driven by fixation of robertsonian (rb) translocations. the high frequency of this rearrangement, which involves the centromeric regions, has been ascribed to the architecture of the satellite sequence (high quantity and homogeneity). this promotes centromere-related translocations through unequal recombination and gene conversion. a characteristic feature of rb variation in this subspecies is the non-random cont ...201425401386
of mice and the 'age of discovery': the complex history of colonization of the azorean archipelago by the house mouse (mus musculus) as revealed by mitochondrial dna variation.humans have introduced many species onto remote oceanic islands. the house mouse (mus musculus) is a human commensal and has consequently been transported to oceanic islands around the globe as an accidental stowaway. the history of these introductions can tell us not only about the mice themselves but also about the people that transported them. following a phylogeographic approach, we used mitochondrial d-loop sequence variation (within an 849- to 864-bp fragment) to study house mouse coloniza ...201525394749
aneuploidy in spermatids of robertsonian (rb) chromosome heterozygous mice.rb translocations are chromosomal rearrangements frequently found in natural populations of the house mouse mus musculus domesticus. the standard diploid karyotype of the house mouse consisting of 40 telocentric chromosomes may be reduced by the emergence of metacentric rb chromosomes. multiple simple rb heterozygotes form trivalents exhibiting higher anaphase nondisjunction frequency and consequently higher number of unbalanced gametes than in normal males. this work will attempt to establish w ...201425385393
use of a natural hybrid zone for genomewide association mapping of craniofacial traits in the house mouse.the identification of the genes involved in morphological variation in nature is still a major challenge. here, we explore a new approach: we combine 178 samples from a natural hybrid zone between two subspecies of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus and mus musculus musculus), and high coverage of the genome (~ 145k snps) to identify loci underlying craniofacial shape variation. due to the long history of recombination in the hybrid zone, high mapping resolution is anticipated. the combina ...201425319559
the laboratory mouse and wild immunology.the laboratory mouse, mus musculus domesticus, has been the workhorse of the very successful laboratory study of mammalian immunology. these studies--discovering how the mammalian immune system can work--have allowed the development of the field of wild immunology that is seeking to understand how the immune responses of wild animals contributes to animals' fitness. remarkably, there have hardly been any studies of the immunology of wild m. musculus domesticus (or of rats, another common laborat ...201525303494
genetic differentiation of hypothalamus parentally biased transcripts in populations of the house mouse implicate the prader-willi syndrome imprinted region as a possible source of behavioral divergence.parentally biased expression of transcripts (genomic imprinting) in adult tissues, including the brain, can influence and possibly drive the evolution of behavioral traits. we have previously found that paternally determined cues are involved in population-specific mate choice decisions between two populations of the western house mouse (mus musculus domesticus). here, we ask whether this could be mediated by genomically imprinted transcripts that are subject to fast differentiation between thes ...201425172960
comparative study of the molecular variation between 'central' and 'peripheral' mups and significance for behavioural signalling.mups (major urinary proteins) play an important role in chemical signalling in rodents and possibly other animals. in the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) mups in urine and other bodily fluids trigger a range of behavioural responses that are only partially understood. there are at least 21 mup genes in the c57bl/6 mouse genome, all located on chromosome 4, encoding sequences of high similarity. further analysis separates the mups into two groups, the 'central' near-identical mups with over ...201425109970
phylogeography of chinese house mice (mus musculus musculus/castaneus): distribution, routes of colonization and geographic regions of hybridization.house mice (mus musculus) are human commensals and have served as a primary model in biomedical, ecological and evolutionary research. although there is detailed knowledge of the biogeography of house mice in europe, little is known of the history of house mice in china, despite the fact that china encompasses an enormous portion of their range. in the present study, 535 house mice caught from 29 localities in china were studied by sequencing the mitochondrial d-loop and genotyping 10 nuclear mi ...201425065953
the robertsonian phenomenon in the house mouse: mutation, meiosis and speciation.many different chromosomal races with reduced chromosome number due to the presence of robertsonian fusion metacentrics have been described in western europe and northern africa, within the distribution area of the western house mouse mus musculus domesticus. this subspecies of house mouse has become the ideal model for studies to elucidate the processes of chromosome mutation and fixation that lead to the formation of chromosomal races and for studies on the impact of chromosome heterozygositie ...201425053180
effect of the y chromosome on plasma high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in y-chromosome-consomic mouse strains.plasma high-density lipoprotein (hdl)-cholesterol level is a clinically important quantitative phenotype that widely varies among inbred mouse strains. several genes or loci associated with plasma hdl-cholesterol levels have been identified on autosomes and the x chromosome. in contrast, genes or loci on the y chromosome have not attracted significant attention hitherto. therefore, we investigated the effects of the y chromosome on plasma hdl-cholesterol levels in y- chromosome-consomic (y-conso ...201424962540
an hmm-based comparative genomic framework for detecting introgression in eukaryotes.one outcome of interspecific hybridization and subsequent effects of evolutionary forces is introgression, which is the integration of genetic material from one species into the genome of an individual in another species. the evolution of several groups of eukaryotic species has involved hybridization, and cases of adaptation through introgression have been already established. in this work, we report on phylonet-hmm-a new comparative genomic framework for detecting introgression in genomes. phy ...201424922281
copy number variants and selective sweeps in natural populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus).copy-number variants (cnvs) may play an important role in early adaptations, potentially facilitating rapid divergence of populations. we describe an approach to study this question by investigating cnvs present in natural populations of mice in the early stages of divergence and their involvement in selective sweeps. we have analyzed individuals from two recently diverged natural populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) from germany and france using custom, high-density, compara ...201424917877
genetic recombination variation in wild robertsonian mice: on the role of chromosomal fusions and prdm9 allelic background.despite the existence of formal models to explain how chromosomal rearrangements can be fixed in a population in the presence of gene flow, few empirical data are available regarding the mechanisms by which genome shuffling contributes to speciation, especially in mammals. in order to shed light on this intriguing evolutionary process, here we present a detailed empirical study that shows how robertsonian (rb) fusions alter the chromosomal distribution of recombination events during the formatio ...201424850922
genome-wide quantitative analysis of histone h3 lysine 4 trimethylation in wild house mouse liver: environmental change causes epigenetic plasticity.in mammals, exposure to toxic or disease-causing environments can change epigenetic marks that are inherited independently of the intrauterine environment. such inheritance of molecular phenotypes may be adaptive. however, studies demonstrating molecular evidence for epigenetic inheritance have so far relied on extreme treatments, and are confined to inbred animals. we therefore investigated whether epigenomic changes could be detected after a non-drastic change in the environment of an outbred ...201424849289
sequential male mate choice under sperm competition risk.male eagerness to mate is a central paradigm of sexual selection theory. however, limited sperm supplies mean that male sexual restraint might sometimes be favored under promiscuous mating. here, we demonstrate dynamic plasticity in male mating effort when females are encountered sequentially under varying sperm competition risk. rather than showing consistent eagerness to mate, male house mice (mus musculus domesticus) instead tailor their mating effort according to likely reproductive payoffs. ...201424822023
a role for ultrasonic vocalisation in social communication and divergence of natural populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus).it has long been known that rodents emit signals in the ultrasonic range, but their role in social communication and mating is still under active exploration. while inbred strains of house mice have emerged as a favourite model to study ultrasonic vocalisation (usv) patterns, studies in wild animals and natural situations are still rare. we focus here on two wild derived mouse populations. we recorded them in dyadic encounters for extended periods of time to assess possible roles of usvs and the ...201424816836
prdm9 incompatibility controls oligospermia and delayed fertility but no selfish transmission in mouse intersubspecific hybrids.pr-domain 9 (prdm9) is the first hybrid sterility gene identified in mammals. the incompatibility between prdm9 from mus musculus domesticus (mmd; the b6 strain) and the hstx2 region of chromosome (chr) x from m. m. musculus (mmm; the pwd strain) participates in the complete meiotic arrest of mouse intersubspecific (pwd×b6)f1 hybrid males. other studies suggest that also semisterile intersubspecific hybrids are relevant for mouse speciation, but the genes responsible remain unknown. to investiga ...201424756080
demographic history of a recent invasion of house mice on the isolated island of gough.island populations provide natural laboratories for studying key contributors to evolutionary change, including natural selection, population size and the colonization of new environments. the demographic histories of island populations can be reconstructed from patterns of genetic diversity. house mice (mus musculus) inhabit islands throughout the globe, making them an attractive system for studying island colonization from a genetic perspective. gough island, in the central south atlantic ocea ...201424617968
multiple paternity in wild house mice (mus musculus musculus): effects on offspring genetic diversity and body mass.multiple mating is common in many species, but it is unclear whether multiple paternity enhances offspring genetic diversity or fitness. we conducted a survey on wild house mice (mus musculus musculus), and we found that in 73 pregnant females, 29% of litters had multiple sires, which is remarkably similar to the 23-26% found in feral populations of mus musculus domesticus in the usa and australia, respectively. the question is: how has selection maintained multiple mating in these subspecies si ...201424558575
diversity and complexity of the mouse saa1 and saa2 genes.mouse strains show polymorphisms in the amino acid sequences of serum amyloid a 1 (saa1) and serum amyloid a 2 (saa2). major laboratory mouse strains are classified based on the sequence as carrying the a haplotype (e.g., balb/c) or b haplotype (e.g., sjl/j) of the saa1 and saa2 gene unit. we attempted to elucidate the diversity of the mouse saa1 and saa2 family genes at the nucleotide sequence level by a systematic survey of 6 inbred mouse strains from 4 mus subspecies, including mus musculus d ...201424521869
sexual selection against natural hybrids may contribute to reinforcement in a house mouse hybrid zone.sexual selection may hinder gene flow across contact zones when hybrid recognition signals are discriminated against. we tested this hypothesis in a unimodal hybrid zone between mus musculus musculus and mus musculus domesticus where a pattern of reinforcement was described and lower hybrid fitness documented. we presented mice from the border of the hybrid zone with a choice between opposite sex urine from the same subspecies versus hybrids sampled in different locations across the zone. while ...201424352947
wild mice as bountiful resources of novel genetic variants for quantitative traits.most traits of biological importance, including traits for human complex diseases (e.g., obesity and diabetes), are continuously distributed. these complex or quantitative traits are controlled by multiple genetic loci called qtls (quantitative trait loci), environments and their interactions. the laboratory mouse has long been used as a pilot animal model for understanding the genetic architecture of quantitative traits. next-generation sequencing analyses and genome-wide snp (single nucleotide ...201324294103
wake up and smell the conflict: odour signals in female competition.odour signals used in competitive and aggressive interactions between males are well studied in the context of sexual selection. by contrast, relatively little is known about comparable signals used by females, despite current interest in the evolution of female ornaments and weaponry. available evidence suggests that odour signals are important in competitive interactions between female mammals, with reductions or reversals of male-biased sexual dimorphism in signalling where female competition ...201324167312
genetic architecture of skewed x inactivation in the laboratory mouse.x chromosome inactivation (xci) is the mammalian mechanism of dosage compensation that balances x-linked gene expression between the sexes. early during female development, each cell of the embryo proper independently inactivates one of its two parental x-chromosomes. in mice, the choice of which x chromosome is inactivated is affected by the genotype of a cis-acting locus, the x-chromosome controlling element (xce). xce has been localized to a 1.9 mb interval within the x-inactivation center (x ...201324098153
extreme nearly neutral evolution in mitochondrial genomes of laboratory mouse strains.relaxation of the selective constraint during the domestication process is known. in this study, we report unexpected closeness to neutral evolution of mitochondrial genomes of laboratory mouse strains: estimated non-synonymous/synonymous rate ratio being very close to 1 (ω^=1.32). probably it is due to the extreme inbreeding extending over 100 years as well as to their recent origin (middle of the last millennium). there is no rate difference observed among three codon positions as well as ribo ...201423954256
mate choice in mus musculus is relative and dependent on the estrous state.mate choice is a critical behavioral decision process with profound impact on evolution. however, the mechanistic basis of mate choice is poorly understood. in this study we focused on assortative mate choice, which is known to contribute to the reproductive isolation of the two european subspecies of house mouse, mus musculus musculus and mus musculus domesticus. to understand the decision process, we developed both full mating and limited-contact paradigms and tested musculus females' preferen ...201323762466
cross-platform microarray meta-analysis for the mouse jejunum selects novel reference genes with highly uniform levels of expression.reference genes (rgs) with uniform expression are used for normalization of reverse transcription quantitative pcr (rt-qpcr) data. their optimization for a specific biological context, e.g. a specific tissue, has been increasingly considered. in this article, we compare rgs identified by expression data meta-analysis restricted to the context tissue, the jejunum of mus musculus domesticus, i) to traditional rgs, ii) to expressed interspersed repeated dna elements, and iii) to rgs identified by m ...201323671661
several classical mouse inbred strains, including dba/2, nod/lt, fvb/n, and sjl/j, carry a putative loss-of-function allele of gpr84.g protein-coupled receptor 84 (gpr84) is a 7-transmembrane protein expressed on myeloid cells that can bind to medium-chain free fatty acids in vitro. here, we report the discovery of a 2-bp frameshift deletion in the second exon of the gpr84 gene in several classical mouse inbred strains. this deletion generates a premature stop codon predicted to result in a truncated protein lacking the transmembrane domains 4-7. we sequenced gpr84 exon 2 from 58 strains representing different groups in the m ...201723616478
the ancestor of extant japanese fancy mice contributed to the mosaic genomes of classical inbred strains.commonly used classical inbred mouse strains have mosaic genomes with sequences from different subspecific origins. their genomes are derived predominantly from the western european subspecies mus musculus domesticus, with the remaining sequences derived mostly from the japanese subspecies mus musculus molossinus. however, it remains unknown how this intersubspecific genome introgression occurred during the establishment of classical inbred strains. in this study, we resequenced the genomes of t ...201323604024
early gene expression divergence between allopatric populations of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus).divergence of gene expression is known to contribute to the differentiation and separation of populations and species, although the dynamics of this process in early stages of population divergence remains unclear. we analyzed gene expression differences in three organs (brain, liver, and testis) between two natural populations of mus musculus domesticus that have been separated for at most 3000 years. we used two different microarray platforms to corroborate the results at a large scale and ide ...201323532401
evolution of the structure and composition of house mouse satellite dna sequences in the subgenus mus (rodentia: muridea): a cytogenomic approach.the composition and orientation of the house mouse satellite dna sequences (minor, major, tlc) were investigated by a fish and co-fish approach in 11 taxa belonging to three clades of the subgenus mus. using a phylogenetic framework, our results highlighted two distribution patterns. the tlc satellite, the most recently discovered satellite, was present in all clades but varied quantitatively among species. this distribution supported its appearance in the ancestor of the subgenus followed by in ...201323515652
paternal imprinting of mating preferences between natural populations of house mice (mus musculus domesticus).the evolutionary divergence of cues for mate recognition can contribute to early stages of population separation. we compare here two allopatric populations of house mice (mus musculus domesticus) that have become separated about 3000 years ago. we have used paternity assignments in semi-natural environments to study the degree of mutual mate recognition according to population origin under conditions of free choice and overlapping generations. our results provide insights into the divergence of ...201323506395
invasive house mice facing a changing environment on the sub-antarctic guillou island (kerguelen archipelago).adaptation to new environments is a key feature in evolution promoting divergence in morphological structures under selection. the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) introduced on the sub-antarctic guillou island (kerguelen archipelago) had and still has to face environmental conditions that likely shaped the pattern and pace of its insular evolution. since mouse arrival on the island, probably not more than two centuries ago, ecological conditions dramatically differed from those available t ...201323331296
genetic tracking of mice and other bioproxies to infer human history.the long-distance movements made by humans through history are quickly erased by time but can be reconstructed by studying the genetic make-up of organisms that travelled with them. the phylogeography of the western house mouse (mus musculus domesticus), whose current widespread distribution around the world has been caused directly by the movements of (primarily) european people, has proved particularly informative in a series of recent studies. the geographic distributions of genetic lineages ...201323290437
origin of the chromosomal radiation of madeiran house mice: a microsatellite analysis of metacentric chromosomes.chromosome races of mus musculus domesticus are characterised by particular sets of metacentric chromosomes formed by robertsonian fusions and whole-arm reciprocal translocations. the atlantic island of madeira is inhabited by six chromosome races of house mice with 6-9 pairs of metacentric chromosomes. three of these races are characterised by the metacentric 3.8 also found elsewhere in the distribution of m. m. domesticus, including denmark and spain. we investigated the possibility that metac ...201323232832
how random is social behaviour? disentangling social complexity through the study of a wild house mouse population.out of all the complex phenomena displayed in the behaviour of animal groups, many are thought to be emergent properties of rather simple decisions at the individual level. some of these phenomena may also be explained by random processes only. here we investigate to what extent the interaction dynamics of a population of wild house mice (mus domesticus) in their natural environment can be explained by a simple stochastic model. we first introduce the notion of perceptual landscape, a novel tool ...201223209394
the telocentric tandem repeat at the p-arm is not conserved in mus musculus subspecies.mouse chromosomes, with the exception of the y chromosome, are telocentric. the telomere at the p-arm is separated from the centromere by the tl1 sequence and tlc tandem repeats. a previous report showed that the tlc array was also conserved in other strains of the subgenus mus. these results suggest that the tlc arrays promote the stable evolutionary maintenance of a telocentric karyotype in the subgenus mus. in this study, we investigated the degree of conservation of tlc arrays among a variet ...201323116940
rapid turnover of long noncoding rnas and the evolution of gene expression.a large proportion of functional sequence within mammalian genomes falls outside protein-coding exons and can be transcribed into long rnas. however, the roles in mammalian biology of long noncoding rna (lncrna) are not well understood. few lncrnas have experimentally determined roles, with some of these being lineage-specific. determining the extent by which transcription of lncrna loci is retained or lost across multiple evolutionary lineages is essential if we are to understand their contribu ...201222844254
[balance hypothesis of action of socially significant volatile chemosignals on reactivity of chromosome machinery of the bone marrow dividing cells in the house mouse mus domesticus l].volatile chemosignals released by female cba laboratory mice have been shown to produce action of different direction, depending on conditions of performance of experiment, on chromosome machinery of bone marrow cells in syngenic adult males. thus, chemosignals secreted into environment by isolated adult females decrease frequency of mitotic disturbances in bone marrow dividing cells in male recipients as compared with spontaneous level in control animals. at the same time, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine ...201222827023
parasite fauna of rodents (murinae) from el hierro (canary islands, spain): a multidisciplinary approach.the parasite fauna (protozoa, helminths and insects) of the two most widespread murinae rodents in el hierro (canary islands, spain), the black rat (rattus rattus) and the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus) was studied. faunistic, ecological, ecotoxicological data, as well as information on the biology of some nematode parasites of r. rattus are provided. the present work is unprecedented in the canary islands, and provides the first data on the parasite biodiversity in murinae from the archi ...201222807054
a pronounced evolutionary shift of the pseudoautosomal region boundary in house mice.the pseudoautosomal region (par) is essential for the accurate pairing and segregation of the x and y chromosomes during meiosis. despite its functional significance, the par shows substantial evolutionary divergence in structure and sequence between mammalian species. an instructive example of par evolution is the house mouse mus musculus domesticus (represented by the c57bl/6j strain), which has the smallest par among those that have been mapped. in c57bl/6j, the par boundary is located just ~ ...201222763584
genetics and evolution of hybrid male sterility in house mice.comparative genetic mapping provides insights into the evolution of the reproductive barriers that separate closely related species. this approach has been used to document the accumulation of reproductive incompatibilities over time, but has only been applied to a few taxa. house mice offer a powerful system to reconstruct the evolution of reproductive isolation between multiple subspecies pairs. however, studies of the primary reproductive barrier in house mice-hybrid male sterility-have been ...201222554891
spatio-temporal variation in the structure of a chromosomal polymorphism zone in the house mouse.several long-term temporal analyses of the structure of robertsonian (rb) hybrid zones in the western house mouse, mus musculus domesticus, have been performed. nevertheless, the detection of gradual or very rapid variations in a zone may be overlooked when the time elapsed between periods of study is too long. the barcelona chromosomal polymorphism zone of the house mouse covers about 5000, km(2) around the city of barcelona and is surrounded by 40 chromosome telocentric populations. seven diff ...201222534497
vkorc1 variation in house mice during warfarin and difenacoum field trials.field studies guided by genetic monitoring of vkorc1 need to be done to implicate mutations conclusively with rodent control problems due to the presence of animals resistant to anticoagulant rodenticides. rodent control success in relation to vkorc1 genotypes in house mice (mus musculus domesticus) was studied on two farms (i and ii) in germany. tests were carried out to determine whether certain resistance profiles and vkorc1 genotypes displayed dynamics over the course of sequential treatment ...201322528807
heterogenous turnover of sperm and seminal vesicle proteins in the mouse revealed by dynamic metabolic labeling.plasticity in ejaculate composition is predicted as an adaptive response to the evolutionary selective pressure of sperm competition. however, to respond rapidly to local competitive conditions requires dynamic modulation in the production of functionally relevant ejaculate proteins. here we combine metabolic labeling of proteins with proteomics to explore the opportunity for such modulation within mammalian ejaculates. we assessed the rate at which proteins are synthesized and incorporated in t ...201222331477
low frequency of t haplotypes in natural populations of house mice (mus musculus domesticus).t haplotypes are a naturally occurring, autosomal, meiotic-drive system found on chromosome 17 of the house mouse. they show non-mendelian transmission from heterozygous +/t males, such that 90% or more of the male's offspring inherit the t-bearing chromosome. although they are expected to become rapidly fixed, surveys of natural populations typically report low overall frequencies of only ~15-25% +/t heterozygotes. generally, such studies of t haplotypes in wild populations have sampled only sm ...199828565222
centromeric incompatibilities in the hybrid zone between house mouse subspecies from denmark: evidence from patterns of nor activity.the introgression pattern of centromeric nucleolar organizer regions (nors) was studied in house mice from the hybrid zone between mus musculus musculus and mus musculus domesticus in denmark. in this region, the two subspecies are chromosomally differentiated: m. m domesticus carries three pairs of robertsonian (rb) fusion chromosomes (2n = 34), while m. m. musculus exhibits the ancestral karyotype of 2n = 40 acrocentric chromosomes. a previous chromosomal analysis showed that the rb clines wer ...199828568333
salivary androgen-binding protein (abp) mediates sexual isolation in mus musculus.we wanted to determine whether the microevolution of the mouse salivary androgen-binding protein (abp) alpha subunit gene (abpa) could mediate sexual selection and thereby have a potential role in maintaining gene pool integrity where radiating mouse subspecies make secondary contact. this hypothesis is based upon previous work in this laboratory, which has shown that each subspecies apparently has its own allele and that these alleles have a 25-fold excess of nonsynonymous/synonymous base subst ...199728565121
the effect of demonstrator age and number on duration of socially-induced food preferences in house mouse (mus domesticus).present research was undertaken to investigate whether the transfer of food preference from a demonstrator mouse to an observer can be influenced by their relative age. in experiment 1 an adult female mouse, the observer, was allowed to interact with a recently-fed demonstrator which was a pup of her litter or an adult female mouse. the observer was then tested to assess whether it acquired a preference for the demonstrator's diet. the results showed that a pup demonstrator's influence on an adu ...199724896381
developmental stability, fitness, and trait size in laboratory hybrids between european subspecies of the house mouse.the effects of hybridization on developmental stability and size of tooth characters were investigated in intersubspecific crosses between random-bred wild strains of the house mouse (mus musculus domesticus and m. m. musculus). fluctuating asymmetry (fa) and trait size were compared within and between parental, f1 , backcross, and f2 hybrid groups. the relationship between fa and reproductive fitness within the f1 hybrids was also studied. the results indicated that both fa and character size l ...199728565477
rates of urine excretion by house mouse (mus domesticus): differences by age, sex, social status, and reproductive condition.a series of five experiments was used to test hypotheses about factors affecting excreted urine output per day in male and female house mice (mus domesticus). urine was collected in metabolism cages over a 24-hr period. male house mice excrete urine at a rate 1.5-2.0 times that of females. daily average urine output increases with age for both sexes and for mice of the same age; urine output per day is correlated with body mass. females in estrus produce more urine than females in diestrus. urin ...199524233678
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