BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPES OF INBRED MOUSE STRAINS - IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MOLECULAR STUDIES

Choosing the best genetic strains of mice for developing a new knockou t or transgenic mouse requires extensive knowledge of the endogenous t raits of inbred strains. Background genes from the parental strains ma y interact with the mutated gene, in a manner which could severely com promise the interpretation of the mutant phenotype. The present overvi ew summarizes the literature on a wide variety of behavioral traits fo r the 129, C57BL/6, DBA/2, and many other inbred strains of mice. Stra in distributions are described for open field activity, learning and m emory tasks, aggression, sexual and parental behaviors, acoustic start le and prepulse inhibition, and the behavioral actions of ethanol, nic otine, cocaine, opiates, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics. Using the re ferenced information, molecular geneticists can choose optimal parenta l strains of mice, and perhaps develop new embryonic stem cell progeni tors, for new knockouts and transgenics to investigate gene function, and to serve as animal models in the development of novel therapeutics for human genetic diseases.