Male glandular odorants attract female ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): A putative pheromone in primates
Male glandular odorants attract female ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): A putative pheromone in primates
复制标题
雄性腺体气味吸引雌性环尾狐猴（Lemur catta）：一种假定的灵长类信息素
DOI：
10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.037
复制
发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
and K. Touhara
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
M. Shirasu;S. Ito;A. Itoigawa;T. Hayakawa;K. Kinoshita;I. Munechika;H. Imai;and K. Touhara
在啮齿类动物中，关于外部世界的信息主要通过嗅觉系统获得，这是五种感觉方式之一。几种符号化学信号用于种间和种内的交流。相比之下，灵长类动物通常被认为是视觉导向的哺乳动物，并且被认为是用嗅觉灵敏度换取良好的视力。然而，链鼻氨酸具有发达的嗅觉系统[2]，并且比单嗅氨酸具有更大的功能性嗅觉和舌鼻受体基因库[3,4]。此外，链霉素因其在社会行为中使用嗅觉交流而闻名。环尾狐猴是马达加斯加链鼻猴的一种，使用嗅觉线索进行同种交流。雄性狐猴通过在手腕上散布前臂腺的挥发物来标记它们的气味。本研究结合行为学和化学方法，确定了狐猴前肢分泌物中与性交流有关的一种关键气味。行为分析结果表明，雌性在繁殖季节比非繁殖季节嗅雄性前肢分泌物的时间更长。通过气相色谱-质谱分析挥发物的季节变化，我们发现在繁殖季节，具有水果和花香气味的三种C12和C14醛的分泌以睾丸激素依赖的方式显著增加。雌性在两种醛（12-甲基三管醛和十四管醛）的生物相关浓度下嗅的时间更长，并且被这两种醛和第三种醛（十二醛）的混合物所吸引。我们的研究结果表明，这些醛被认为是狐猴信息素参与雄性对雌性在繁殖季节的吸引力。
Among rodents, information about the external world is mainly acquired via the olfactory system, which is one of five sensory modalities. Several semiochemical signals are used for inter- and intraspecies communication [1]. In contrast, primates are generally regarded as vision-oriented mammals, and have been thought to trade their olfactory sensitivity for good sight. However, strepsirrhines have a well-developed olfactory system [2] and a larger repertoire of functional olfactory and vomeronasal receptor genes than haplorhines [3, 4]. Moreover, strepsirrhines are well known for their use of olfactory communication in social behavior. Ring-tailed lemurs are a species of Malagasy strepsirrhines, and use olfactory cues for conspecific communication. Male lemurs mark their scent by spreading volatiles from the antebrachial gland on their wrists. This study combined ethological and chemical approaches to identify a key odorant(s) in antebrachial secretions involved in the sexual communication of lemurs. The results of a behavioral assay indicated that females sniff the males' antebrachial secretions longer during the breeding season than during the nonbreeding season. By examining seasonal changes in volatiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we found that the secretion of three C12 and C14 aldehydes with a fruity and floral scent significantly increased during the breeding season in a testosterone-dependent manner. Females sniffed for longer at biologically relevant concentrations of two of the aldehydes (12-methyltridecanal and tetradecanal) and were attracted to a mixture of these plus the third aldehyde, dodecanal. Our results suggest that these aldehydes are putative lemur pheromones involved in the attractiveness of males to females during the breeding season.