Social rank-dependent effects of testosterone on huddling strategies in mice
Ye Zhao,
Xueyong Yin,
Yang Yu,
Shihao Huang,
Hao Feng,
Shuang Wang,
Yiming Cai,
Ruofan Zhao,
Shuai Gao,
Ye Liu,
Zhengxin Zhang,
Xinyu Zhao,
Ruonan Qiao,
Jialin Yuan,
Weichen Guan,
Huiping Yang,
Yun Shi,
Haishui Shi
Affiliations
Ye Zhao
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xueyong Yin
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Yang Yu
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Shihao Huang
National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Hao Feng
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Shuang Wang
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Yiming Cai
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Ruofan Zhao
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Shuai Gao
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Ye Liu
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Zhengxin Zhang
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Xinyu Zhao
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Ruonan Qiao
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Jialin Yuan
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Weichen Guan
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Huiping Yang
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Yun Shi
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Haishui Shi
Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Huddling behavior, a typical social interaction among animals, has the benefits of obtaining social support and adapting environment. Huddling behavior is determined by social (social hierarchy), environmental factors (stress events), and the neuroendocrine system. Nevertheless, the huddling behavior of different social hierarchies and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, acute 2-methyl-2-thiazoline (2 MT) can induce huddling behavior and significantly increase serum levels of testosterone (T) in mice; and the increased T level was positively correlated with huddling behavior. Further, the T treatment significantly increased the huddling behavior in mice under 2 MT exposure condition. More interestingly, T can quickly promote dominant individuals to occupy safe positions when huddling together under predator odor. Collectively, T can rapidly regulate the individual’s adaptive response to threats in a social rank-dependent manner, which provides a new perspective for the in-depth study of the influencing factors and underlying mechanisms of huddling behavior.
