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Chem Senses

Title:		Pheromone detection by a pheromone emitter: a small sex pheromone-specific processing system in the female American cockroach
Author(s):		Nishino H; Iwasaki M; Mizunami M;
Address:		"Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan. nishino@es.hokudai.ac.jp"
Journal Title:		Chem Senses
Year:		2011
Volume:		20101123
Issue:		3
Page Number:		261 - 270
DOI:		10.1093/chemse/bjq122
ISSN/ISBN:		1464-3553 (Electronic) 0379-864X (Linking)
Abstract:		"Many animals depend on pheromone communication for successful mating. Sex pheromone in insects is usually released by females to attract males. In American cockroaches, the largest glomerulus (B-glomerulus) in the male antennal lobe (first-order olfactory center) processes the major component of sex pheromone. Using intracellular recordings combined with fine neuroanatomical techniques, we provide evidence that the female homolog of the male B-glomerulus also acts as a sex pheromone-specific detector. Whereas ordinary glomeruli that process normal environmental odors are innervated by single projection neurons (PNs), the B-glomerulus in both sexes is innervated by multiple PNs, one of which possesses a thicker axon, termed here B-PN. Both soma size and axon diameter were smaller on B-PNs from females compared with B-PNs from males. The female B-PNs also produce fewer terminal arborizations in the protocerebrum than male B-PNs. Termination fields in the lateral protocerebrum of the female B-PN are mostly segregated from those formed by other uniglomerular PNs innervating ordinary glomeruli. Female B-PN activity was greatest in response to sex pheromone but lower than that in the male B-PN. This specific detection system suggests that sex pheromone affects the behavior and/or endocrine system of female cockroaches"
Keywords:		"Animals Brain Chemistry Female Fluorescent Dyes Male Microscopy, Confocal Olfactory Pathways/physiology Olfactory Receptor Neurons/*physiology Periplaneta/*physiology Sex Attractants/chemistry/*physiology;"
Notes:		"MedlineNishino, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Masazumi Mizunami, Makoto eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2010/11/26 Chem Senses. 2011 Mar; 36(3):261-70. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjq122. Epub 2010 Nov 23"