| Title: | Communication by olfactory signals in rabbits: its role in reproduction |
| Author(s): | Melo AI; Gonzalez-Mariscal G; |
| Address: | "Centro de Investigacion en Reproduccion Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Tlax., Mexico" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/S0083-6729(10)83015-8 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0083-6729 (Print) 0083-6729 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Rabbits use a variety of olfactory signals to transmit information related with reproduction. Such cues are produced in skin glands (submandibular, anal, Harder's, lachrymal, preputial) and the mammary gland-nipple complex. Some signals are transmitted by active behaviors, for example, chin-marking, urination, and defecation, while others are transmitted passively (e.g., mammary pheromone (MP) and inguinal gland secretions). We show that sex steroids regulate: chinning frequency and the chin gland's size, weight and secretory activity in bucks and does by acting on specific brain regions or on the chin gland, respectively. The 'mammary pheromone,' identified in milk as 2-methyl-but-2-enal, is essential for guiding the pups to the nipples, but its origin (mammary gland, ventral skin, nipple) remains to be determined. Estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin regulate the emission of an olfactory cue that also triggers nipple-search behavior in the pups, but its chemical identity and relation with the MP are unclear" |
| Keywords: | "*Animal Communication Animals Female Male Mammary Glands, Animal/metabolism Olfactory Pathways/*physiology Pheromones/*physiology Rabbits Reproduction/*physiology Scent Glands/metabolism Sex Attractants/physiology Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineMelo, Angel I Gonzalez-Mariscal, Gabriela eng Review 2010/09/14 Vitam Horm. 2010; 83:351-71. doi: 10.1016/S0083-6729(10)83015-8" |
