Placental genotype affects early postpartum maternal behaviour.

ABSTRACT: The mammalian placenta is a source of endocrine signals that prime the onset of maternal care at parturition. While consequences of placental dysfunction for offspring growth are well defined, how altered placental signalling might affect maternal behaviour is unstudied in a natural system. In the cross between sympatric mouse species, Mus musculus domesticus and Mus spretus, hybrid placentas are undersized and show misexpression of genes critical to placental endocrine function. Using this cross, we quantified the effects of placental dysregulation on maternal and anxiety-like behaviours in mice that differed only in pregnancy type. Relative to mothers of conspecific litters, females exposed to hybrid placentas did not differ in anxiety-like behaviours but were slower to ret

SUBMITTER: Gardner S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6774950 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature