In vivo vomeronasal stimulation reveals sensory encoding of conspecific and allospecific cues by the mouse accessory olfactory bulb
In vivo vomeronasal stimulation reveals sensory encoding of conspecific and allospecific cues by the mouse accessory olfactory bulb
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.0915147107
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发表时间：
2010-03-16
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Dulac, C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ben-Shaul, Y.;Katz, L. C.;Dulac, C.
啮齿动物犁鼻系统在介导信息素诱发的社会和性行为中起着关键作用。犁鼻器（VNO）和它的突触靶点，副嗅球（AOB）的解剖和分子结构的最新研究表明，犁鼻感觉处理的独特功能。然而，导致特定的行为和内分泌反应的信息素的神经元表示仍然在很大程度上未被探索，由于精确的刺激传递到VNO的实验困难。为了确定犁鼻系统中信息处理的基本规则，我们开发了一种独特的制剂，允许控制和重复的刺激传递到VNO，并将这种方法与AOB中神经元活动的多位点记录相结合。我们发现，尿液，一种在哺乳动物中具有良好特征的信息素来源，以及唾液，以可靠地编码供体动物的性和遗传状态的方式激活AOB神经元。我们还确定了一个显着比例的AOB神经元，反应强劲，有选择性地捕食线索，这表明犁鼻系统在同种和种间识别的扩大作用。进一步的分析表明，来自不同来源的混合刺激引起AOB神经元的协同反应，从而支持化学感觉信息的综合处理的概念。
The rodent vomeronasal system plays a critical role in mediating pheromone-evoked social and sexual behaviors. Recent studies of the anatomical and molecular architecture of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and of its synaptic target, the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), have suggested that unique features underlie vomeronasal sensory processing. However, the neuronal representation of pheromonal information leading to specific behavioral and endocrine responses has remained largely unexplored due to the experimental difficulty of precise stimulus delivery to the VNO. To determine the basic rules of information processing in the vomeronasal system, we developed a unique preparation that allows controlled and repeated stimulus delivery to the VNO and combined this approach with multisite recordings of neuronal activity in the AOB. We found that urine, a well-characterized pheromone source in mammals, as well as saliva, activates AOB neurons in a manner that reliably encodes the donor animal's sexual and genetic status. We also identified a significant fraction of AOB neurons that respond robustly and selectively to predator cues, suggesting an expanded role for the vomeronasal system in both conspecific and interspecific recognition. Further analysis reveals that mixed stimuli from distinct sources evoke synergistic responses in AOB neurons, thereby supporting the notion of integrative processing of chemosensory information.