Systems Genetics pp 519-530 | Cite as
Complex Genetics of Behavior: BXDs in the Automated Home-Cage
Abstract
This chapter describes a use case for the genetic dissection and automated analysis of complex behavioral traits using the genetically diverse panel of BXD mouse recombinant inbred strains. Strains of the BXD resource differ widely in terms of gene and protein expression in the brain, as well as in their behavioral repertoire. A large mouse resource opens the possibility for gene finding studies underlying distinct behavioral phenotypes, however, such a resource poses a challenge in behavioral phenotyping. To address the specifics of large-scale screening we describe how to investigate: (1) how to assess mouse behavior systematically in addressing a large genetic cohort, (2) how to dissect automation-derived longitudinal mouse behavior into quantitative parameters, and (3) how to map these quantitative traits to the genome, deriving loci underlying aspects of behavior.
Key words
Inbred mouse strains Spontaneous behavior Sheltering Automated home-cage PhenoTyper Systematic behavioral profile Reference database Genetic effect size Mouse phenomics High-throughputNotes
Acknowledgements
We thank Rolinka van der Loo for operating the PhenoTyper systems and Ruud Wijnands for assistance, Noldus Information Technology for supplying software and Ben Loke, Cecilia Herrera, Raymond de Heer and Willem van der Veer for development of hardware, software and test scripts. The Neuro-BSIK Mouse Phenomics consortium: A.B. Brussaard [a], J.G.G. Borst [b], Y. Elgersma [b], N. Galjart [c], G.T. van der Horst [c], C.N. Levelt [d], C.M. Pennartz [e], A.B. Smit [f], B.M. Spruijt [g], M. Verhage [h] and C.I. de Zeeuw† [b], and the companies Noldus Information Technology (www.noldus.com) and Sylics (Synaptologics BV; www.sylics.com). [a] Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [b] Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands [c] Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands [d] Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [e] Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences–Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands [f] Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [g] Department of Biology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands [h] Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. †Lead-author of the Neuro-BSIK Mouse Phenomics consortium, address correspondence to c.dezeeuw@erasmusmc.nl.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. M.L. is full time employee of Sylics (Synaptologics BV), a private, VU University spin-off company that offers mouse phenotyping services using AHCODA™. A.B.S. and M.V. participate in a holding that owns Sylics shares and have received consulting fees from Sylics.
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