Hippocampus-specific deficiency of IL-15Rα contributes to greater anxiety-like behaviors in mice

A hippocampus-specific IL15RαKO mouse ( hipIl15ra fl/fl /Cre + ) was generated to test the hypothesis that the targeted deletion of interleukin-15 receptor alpha (IL-15Rα) in the hippocampus contributes to altered behavior, including greater levels of anxiety and ambulatory activity. Using Cre-loxP, exons 2 and 3 of the IL-15Rα gene were excised within the hippocampus, while normal expression was maintained within the rest of the brain. In the open field test (OFT), hipIl15ra fl/fl /Cre + spent a greater amount of time in the periphery and less time in the central portions of the chamber, and there was also a noticeable trend for decreased rearing activity; these behaviors are consistent with greater levels of anxiety-like behavior in these mice. However, there were no differences in the overall locomotor counts in the OFT when comparing hipIl15ra fl/fl /Cre + mice to their littermate controls. These data implicate IL-15-related signaling within the hippocampus has a role in anxiety-like behavior.