| Title: | Melanocortin-5 receptor deficiency reduces a pheromonal signal for aggression in male mice |
| Author(s): | Morgan C; Thomas RE; Ma W; Novotny MV; Cone RD; |
| Address: | "Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA. cam2025@med.cornell.edu" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0379-864X (Print) 0379-864X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Mice lacking the melanocortin-5 receptor (MC5R) exhibit decreased sensitivity to the stimulatory effects of systemic melanocortin injections on aggressive behavior. Because the pheromone-producing preputial gland expresses the MC5R, we tested the hypothesis that decreases in preputial pheromones underlie the behavioral deficit. Here we show that MC5R deficiency decreases preputial and urine levels of the sex pheromones, alpha- and beta-farnesene, relative to wild-type mice. We also demonstrate that farnesenes potently stimulate aggression in mice. Moreover, farnesene-stimulated aggression is reduced in MC5R-deficient mice, relative to wild-type mice. Our results suggest that activation of the MC5R promotes aggression by increasing farnesene signaling" |
| Keywords: | "Aggression/drug effects/*physiology Animals Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Male Mice Mice, Knockout Orchiectomy Receptors, Corticotropin/*deficiency Receptors, Melanocortin Sesquiterpenes/pharmacology/urine Sex Attractants/*pharmacology Signal Trans;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineMorgan, Caurnel Thomas, Ruth E Ma, Weidong Novotny, Milos V Cone, Roger D eng DC02418/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ DK51730/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ T32 DK07680/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. England 2004/02/24 Chem Senses. 2004 Feb; 29(2):111-5. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjh011" |
