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Behavioral phenotyping of mice deficient in the tumor necrosis factor

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Russian Journal of Genetics: Applied Research

Abstract

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a cytokine exerting both homeostatic and pathophysiological roles in the central nervous system (CNS). It has been demonstrated that TNF plays roles in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Nevertheless, the roles of TNF in the CNS under normal physiological conditions have been poorly studied. A novel mouse strain with the TNF deficiency (TNFKO) was developed in S.A. Nedospasov’s laboratory at the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in a C57Bl/6 (WT) background. In our study, we compared the behavior of TNFKO and WT adult mice in a battery of tests: open field, elevated plus-maze, and the forcedswim test. We showed that TNF deficiency had no effect on locomotor activity or exploration in the openfield test. At the same time, in this test, TNFKO mice spent more time in the center of the arena, but had a higher level of defecation and lower rearing duration. This result indicates that, in the open-field conditions, TNFKO mice show disorientation rather than anxiety-like behavior. There were no differences between TNFKO and WT in the anxiety level in the elevated plus-maze test or in depressive-like behavior in the forced-swim test. These data suggest that the TNF deficiency leads to changes in neurofunctional interactions that alter the mouse’s response to mild stress in the open-field test.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia

    D. V. Fursenko, N. V. Khotskin & A. V. Kulikov

  2. Institute of Automation and Electrometry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia

    V. A. Kulikov

Authors
  1. D. V. Fursenko
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  2. N. V. Khotskin
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  3. V. A. Kulikov
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  4. A. V. Kulikov
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Correspondence to D. V. Fursenko.

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Original Russian Text © D.V. Fursenko, N.V. Khotskin, V.A. Kulikov, A.V. Kulikov, 2015, published in Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki i Selektsii, 2015, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 394–398.

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Fursenko, D.V., Khotskin, N.V., Kulikov, V.A. et al. Behavioral phenotyping of mice deficient in the tumor necrosis factor. Russ J Genet Appl Res 6, 400–404 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079059716040067

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079059716040067

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