Differential effect of Fyn tyrosine kinase deletion on offensive and defensive aggression

Behav Brain Res. 2001 Jul;122(1):51-6. doi: 10.1016/s0166-4328(01)00171-1.

Abstract

Fyn tyrosine kinase is highly expressed in the limbic system and mice lacking Fyn tyrosine kinase showed increased fearfulness in a variety of tests for anxiety-related behaviors. To investigate the possible role of Fyn tyrosine kinase in aggression, we assessed the aggressive behaviors of the mice lacking the Fyn tyrosine kinase using the resident-intruder and restraint-induced target biting paradigms. The percentage of Fyn-deficient mice that attacked an inanimate target in a restraint tube was higher than that of the control mice. On the contrary, in the resident-intruder paradigm, the percentage of Fyn-deficient mice that attacked the intruder was lower and the Fyn-deficient mice showed a longer latency to attack an intruder. These results suggest a distinct role of Fyn tyrosine kinase in enhancing the offensive aggression and decreasing the defensive aggression. A possible influence of anxiety-phenotype of the Fyn-deficient mice on their abnormal aggressive behavior was discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aggression / physiology*
  • Aggression / psychology
  • Animals
  • Anxiety / genetics
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology*
  • Gene Deletion
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Phenotype
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / deficiency
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / physiology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fyn

Substances

  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Fyn protein, mouse
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fyn