TRANSGENIC PRAIRIE VOLES TO DISSECT GENETICS/NEURAL CIRCUITRY OF SOCIAL BONDING

Emory University, Atlanta GA

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The objectives of this project are to develop transgenic technologies for the selective activation and inactivation of the neural systems regulating pair bonding on the genetic and cellular level. Development of these resources will have two main foci: 1) the genetic inactivation of oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) and 2) the cellular regulation of oxytocin (OT) release within transgenic lines of prairie voles. Toward the first goal we will take advantage of Cre-lox and siRNA technologies that have been used so successfully in mutant mice to regulate gene expression in a temporally regulated and cell-type specific manner. Over the past year we have screened several oxtr shRNA's to identify two that yield maximum knockdown in cell culture and in the brain. We are currently having Lenti-viral constructs being made which we will used to inject into embryos. A significant amount of time has been spent training a student and post-doctoral fellow in embryo transfer. Alaine Keebaugh and Meera Modi participated in a Jackson Laboratories Embryo transfer class. So we are well poised to actually create oxtr knockdown transgenic voles in the next year.