10.5061/DRYAD.G1G00
Lee, Won
Columbia University
Khan, Amber
Queens College, CUNY
Curley, James P.
Columbia University
Data from: Major urinary protein levels are associated with social status
and context in mouse social hierarchies
Dryad
dataset
2017
Social dominance
Creatinine
MUP20
Social hierarchy
major urinary protein
2017-08-18T16:38:17Z
2017-08-18T16:38:17Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1570
76072 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
We have previously shown that male mice living in groups of 12 males
establish and maintain stable linear social hierarchies with each
individual having a defined social rank. However, it is not clear which
social cues mice use to signal and recognize their relative social status
within their hierarchy. In this study, we investigate how individual
social status both in pairs and in groups affects the levels of major
urinary proteins (MUPs) and specifically MUP20 in urine. We housed groups
of adult outbred CD1 male mice in a complex social environment for three
weeks and collected urine samples from all individuals repeatedly. We
found that dominant males produce more MUPs than subordinates when housed
in pairs and that the production of MUPs and MUP20 is significantly higher
in alpha males compared with all other individuals in a social hierarchy.
Furthermore, we found that hepatic mRNA expression of Mup3 and Mup20 is
significantly higher in alpha males than in subordinate males. We also
show that alpha males have lower urinary creatinine levels consistent with
these males urinating more than others living in hierarchies. These
differences emerged within one week of animals being housed together in
social hierarchies. This study demonstrates that as males transition to
become alpha males, they undergo physiological changes that contribute to
communication of their social status that may have implications for the
energetic demands of maintaining dominance.
LeeKhanCurley_dataBehavioral and Physiological data