GENE TARGETING APPROACHES TO NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY - OXYTOCIN, MATERNAL-BEHAVIOR, AND AFFILIATION

Transgenic technology affords exciting new opportunities in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology. We have extended our research into t he behavioral function of oxytocin in maternal and social behavior usi ng two transgenic approaches: (i) targeted deletion of the oxytocin ge ne in mice and (ii) augmented oxytocin receptor expression in the brai n. Mice genetically deficient in oxytocin can mate, give birth, and di splay normal maternal behavior; however, milk ejection and certain asp ects of social behavior are affected. Comparative studies of oxytocin receptors have led to the observation that species differences in soci al organization are associated with differences in receptor distributi on. Specifically, monogamous prairie voles and nonmonogamous, asocial montane voles exhibit different patterns of CT receptor expression in the brain. Transgenic mice have been created with a reporter gene driv en by the prairie vole oxytocin receptor gene promoter. Analysis of th e expression pattern suggests that it should be possible to manipulate receptor expression in the vole brain in order to examine the effects of receptor distribution on behavior. (C) 1997 Academic Press.