The insertion of Neomycin cassette impairs maternal and social behaviors in Arc/Arg3.1 knock-out mice
This study reveals that the commonly used Neomycin resistance cassette, rather than the Arc/Arg3.1 gene deletion alone, causes severe impairments in maternal and social behaviors in knockout mice by altering ERK signaling and the oxytocin system, thereby necessitating a critical re-evaluation of behavioral phenotypes in animal models retaining this genetic marker.