Sci/Tech Researchers created gene-edited hamsters full of rage in an experiment gone wrong

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A group of researchers made gene-edited hamsters that were meant to be less aggressive. The researchers used CRISPR, a gene-editing platform, to remove a gene they believed was responsible for aggressive behavior in hamsters. However, the genetic modification had a much different effect. Instead of being more docile, the hamsters became overly aggressive.

Hamsters have been at the heart of many animal studies for decades. That’s because these furry little rodents have a social organization and a stress response that is very human-like. Because of this, scientists have used the rodents to try to better understand what governs social behaviors like anger, stress, and so on.

Several decades ago, back in the early 1980s, a group of researchers discovered that a hormone known as arginine vasopressin (AVP) could change the behavior of hamsters. From here, the scientists dug deeper into the differences between the sexes of hamsters and the AVP receptor, called Avpr1a. It’s this hormone that was changed in the gene-edited hamsters.

Previously, researchers found that males injected with Avpr1a activators became more aggressive, while female hamsters became less aggressive. Alternatively, when injecting males with Avpr1a inhibitors, males became more docile, while females became aggressive. More research into the hamster’s response to Avpr1a showed how it regulates aggression in the rodents. At least, we thought it did.

 
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