Genetic influences on saccharin preference of mice

Preference for a 0.1% solution of sodium saccharin was assessed in a two-bottle, saccharin versus water, preference test. Animals were adult mice from four inbred strains (BAlb/cJ; C57BL/6J; I^s/Bi; 101BAg/Rl), both reciprocal F₁ crosses of BAlb with C57, and a hetergeneous generation formed by crossing F₁ with wild trapped mice. Individuals from the 101 strain demonstrated no preference for saccharin or water while the other inbred strains preferred saccharin. No sex or maternal effect was detected. Heritability (h²) and coefficient of genetic determination (CGD) was estimated by alternative methods. The CGD was between 0.81 and 0.94 ± 0.024; h² = 0.55 to 0.68. This high degree of genetic involvement suggests that genotype is a major determinant of individual differences in saccharin preference.