Sexual Differentiation of Mouse Vomeronasal Function

小鼠犁鼻功能的性别分化

• 批准号: 6622021
• 负责人: JAMES A. CHERRY
• 金额: $ 24.23万
• 依托单位: BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-12-01 至 2005-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6622021
• 关键词: animal communication behavior; behavioral /social science research tag; biological signal transduction; estradiol; estrogens; fluorescent in situ hybridization; fos protein; gender difference; immunocytochemistry; laboratory mouse; olfactions; olfactory lobe; olfactory stimulus; pheromone; receptor expression; sex hormones; testosterone; vomeronasal systems

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The vomeronasal organ (VNO) projection pathway mediates many of the effects of pheromones on essential psychosexual and neuroendocrine functions in a variety of vertebrate species. We have shown that different populations of neurons in the VNO of male and female mice respond to pheromones derived from male and female conspecifics and that estradiol and testosterone amplify these effects. Experiments are proposed to extend these findings by determining whether sex differences exist in the expression within the basal zone of the VNO of any three different V2R receptors previously cloned in mice, and whether any such differences in mRNA levels for these receptors are modulated by estradiol or testosterone. We will see whether the ability of male pheromones to augment Fos-IR in mitral cells that project to medial amygdaloid nuclei from the rostral as opposed to the caudal AOB differs in gonadectomized, estrogen-treated male and female mice and will use cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescent in situ hybridization (catFISH) for the immediate-early-gene (IEG), c-fos, to determine whether mitral cells in the rostral versus caudal zones of the AOB are differentially activated by pheromones from male versus estrous female mice. Finally, we will determine whether the inhibition of male pheromone-induced IEG activation previously seen in the VNO of females two days after mating also occurs in male mice and in response to pheromones from both sexes, and we will assess the possible role of noradrenergic afferents from the superior cervical ganglia on the mating-induced 'silencing' of subsequent odor-induced IEG activation in the VNO. The results obtained in these studies should improve our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the effects of gender, steroid hormones, and previous coital experience on the processing of olfactory signals by the accessory olfactory system.

描述（由申请人提供）：Vomeronasal器官（VNO）投影 途径介导了信息素对基本心理类似的许多影响 神经内分泌在多种脊椎动物中起作用。我们已经显示了 雄性和雌性小鼠VNO中不同的神经元种群 响应源自男性和女性特异性的信息素，并 雌二醇和睾丸激素会扩大这些作用。提出了实验 通过确定性别差异是否存在 任何三种不同V2R的VNO的基础区域内的表达 以前克隆在小鼠中的受体，以及mRNA中是否有任何这种差异 这些受体的水平由雌二醇或睾丸激素调节。我们将 查看雄性信息素在二尖瓣中增加FOS-IR的能力 该项目将内侧杏仁核核从鼻子开始而不是 尾骨AOB在雌激素治疗的雄性和雌性小鼠中不同， 将使用荧光内的蜂窝室分析时间活动 即时至上的杂交（cat鱼），即直接 - 基因（IEG），c-fos to 确定AOB的延髓与尾区中的二尖瓣细胞是否 由男性与发情女性的信息素差异激活 老鼠。最后，我们将确定抑制男性是否 信息素诱导的IEG激活先前在女性的VNO中看到了两天 在雄性小鼠中也发生了交配后，并响应于两者的信息素 性别，我们将评估去甲肾上腺素能传入的可能作用 随后的交配引起的“沉默”上的上颈神经节 气味诱导的IEG激活在VNO中。这些研究获得的结果 应该提高我们对神经生物学机制的理解 是性别，类固醇激素和以前的同性恋的影响的基础 配件嗅觉处理嗅觉信号的经验 系统。