| Abstract: | Female mice of strains selectively bred for aggressiveness or nonaggressiveness were injected with testosterone propionate (TF′) at the age of 2 days and as adults, or they were injected as adults only. Aggressive and sexual behavior was then tested with female, receptive female, and male partners before, during, and after the latter TP treatment. The females that had received both TP treatments displayed as much or as little aggression as males of the same strain, leading to the conclusion that aggressiveness genes are not linked with the male sex chromosome, even though they depend on it for their expression. The sexual behavior of the females of both strains that had received both TP treatments was altered to the male type. In the females of the aggressive strain even adult treatment alone was sufficient for this change. Aggressiveness and male sexual behavior would seem to be determined separately, although aggressiveness facilitates the display of male sexual behavior. |
