Mice lacking acid-sensing ion channel 2 in the medial prefrontal cortex exhibit social dominance

Authors

Boren Lin, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Zhen Jin, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Gyeongah Park, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Qian Ge, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Kritika Singh, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
William G. Ryan V, Department of Neuroscience, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Ali Sajid Imami, Department of Neuroscience, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Farzaneh Naghavi, Department of Neuroscience, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Olivia Ann Miller, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Saira Khan, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Hui Lu, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Robert E. McCullumsmith, Department of Neuroscience, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA.
Jianyang Du, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

10-25-2024

Journal

Science advances

Volume

10

Issue

43

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adn7573

Abstract

Social dominance is essential for maintaining a stable society and has both positive and negative impacts on social animals, including humans. However, the regulatory mechanisms governing social dominance, as well as the crucial regulators and biomarkers involved, remain poorly understood. We discover that mice lacking acid-sensing ion channel 2 (ASIC2) exhibit persistently higher social dominance than their wild-type cagemates. Conversely, overexpression of ASIC2 in the medial prefrontal cortex reverses the dominance hierarchy observed in ASIC2 knockout (Asic2) mice. Asic2 neurons exhibit increased synaptic transmission and plasticity, potentially mediated by protein kinase A signaling pathway. Furthermore, ASIC2 plays distinct functional roles in excitatory and inhibitory neurons, thereby modulating the balance of neuronal activities underlying social dominance behaviors-a phenomenon suggestive of a cell subtype-specific mechanism. This research lays the groundwork for understanding the mechanisms of social dominance, offering potential insights for managing social disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

APA Citation

Lin, Boren; Jin, Zhen; Park, Gyeongah; Ge, Qian; Singh, Kritika; Ryan V, William G.; Imami, Ali Sajid; Naghavi, Farzaneh; Miller, Olivia Ann; Khan, Saira; Lu, Hui; McCullumsmith, Robert E.; and Du, Jianyang, "Mice lacking acid-sensing ion channel 2 in the medial prefrontal cortex exhibit social dominance" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 5774.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/5774

Department

Pharmacology and Physiology