Deficiency of the paternally inherited gene Magel2 alters the development of separation-induced vocalization and maternal behavior in mice.

ABSTRACT: The behavior of offspring results from the combined expression of maternal and paternal genes. Genomic imprinting silences some genes in a parent-of-origin specific manner, a process that, among all animals, occurs only in mammals. How genomic imprinting affects the behavior of mammalian offspring, however, remains poorly understood. Here, we studied how the loss of the paternally inherited gene Magel2 in mouse pups affects the emission of separation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations (USV). Using quantitative analysis of more than 1000 USVs, we characterized the rate of vocalizations as well as their spectral features from postnatal days 6-12 (P6-P12), a critical phase of mouse development that covers the peak of vocal behavior in pups. Our analyses show that Magel2 deficient offspring emit

SUBMITTER: Bosque Ortiz GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9744533 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature