| Title: | A Molecular Code for Identity in the Vomeronasal System |
| Author(s): | Fu X; Yan Y; Xu PS; Geerlof-Vidavsky I; Chong W; Gross ML; Holy TE; |
| Address: | "Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Electronic address: holy@wustl.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cell.2015.09.012 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1097-4172 (Electronic) 0092-8674 (Print) 0092-8674 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "In social interactions among mammals, individuals are recognized by olfactory cues, but identifying the key signals among thousands of compounds remains a major challenge. To address this need, we developed a new technique, component-activity matching (CAM), to select candidate ligands that 'explain' patterns of bioactivity across diverse complex mixtures. Using mouse urine from eight different sexes and strains, we identified 23 components to explain firing rates in seven of eight functional classes of vomeronasal sensory neurons. Focusing on a class of neurons selective for females, we identified a novel family of vomeronasal ligands, steroid carboxylic acids. These ligands accounted for much of the neuronal activity of urine from some female strains, were necessary for normal levels of male investigatory behavior of female scents, and were sufficient to trigger mounting behavior. CAM represents the first step toward an exhaustive characterization of the molecular cues for natural behavior in a mammalian olfactory system" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Chromatography, Liquid Female Male *Mice Mice, Inbred Strains Neurons/cytology/physiology Sex Attractants/chemistry/*urine Sexual Behavior, Animal Smell Species Specificity Tandem Mass Spectrometry Vomeronasal Organ/*physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineFu, Xiaoyan Yan, Yuetian Xu, Pei S Geerlof-Vidavsky, Ilan Chong, Wongi Gross, Michael L Holy, Timothy E eng R01 NS068409/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ R01 DC010381/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ P41 GM103422/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ P41 GM103422-36/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 DC005964/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural 2015/10/06 Cell. 2015 Oct 8; 163(2):313-23. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.09.012. Epub 2015 Oct 1" |
