Sex difference and testosterone modulation of pheromone-induced neuronal Fos in the ferret's main olfactory bulb and hypothalamus
Sex difference and testosterone modulation of pheromone-induced neuronal Fos in the ferret's main olfactory bulb and hypothalamus
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DOI：
10.1095/biolreprod59.6.1454
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发表时间：
1998-12-01
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Baum, MJ
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kelliher, KR;Chang, YM;Baum, MJ
作为一种食肉动物，雪貂拥有一个向下丘脑投射的下颌鼻器官附属嗅球（VNO-AOB）；然而，人们对它的功能知之甚少。发情雌性雪貂的脏床上的信息素或人工薄荷气味显著提高了核Fos蛋白免疫反应性（Fos- ir），这是神经激活的标志，在几个主要嗅球（MOB）部位，但在性腺去角质的雄性和雌性的AOB中没有。丙酸睾酮（TP）显著增强了MOB神经元Fos对发情雌性信息素的反应，但对薄荷没有反应。刺激性气味，而不是薄荷，也增强了女性受试者内侧视前区（mPOA）的Fos-IR神经元，而不是男性受试者。繁殖雄性雪貂的脏被褥中的信息素显著增加了性腺去角质、tp处理的雄性和雌性受试者的MOB和内侧杏仁核中的神经元Fos-IR。同样，雄性信息素对两性AOB中的神经元Fos-IR没有影响，只有雌性在腹内侧核和mPOA的外侧表现出神经元Fos-IR的显著增加。这些结果表明，在高等哺乳动物中，下丘脑的主要嗅上皮- mob投射在探测和处理信息素方面发挥了重要作用。去性腺化的雪貂无论放在雌性还是雄性的床上，它们的嗅探行为都显著增加。无论他们是否接受了TP或油载体，这种情况都发生了，这表明睾酮促进了MOB中神经元Fos对发情女性气味的反应，而这不能归因于气味收集的增加。雄激素受体- ir存在于雄性和雌性雪貂的MOB颗粒细胞层中，这增加了睾丸激素直接作用于这些细胞以增强其对信息素的反应的可能性。
A carnivore, the ferret possesses a vomeronasal organ-accessory olfactory bulb (VNO-AOB) projection to the hypothalamus; however, little is known about its function. Pheromones in soiled bedding from estrous female ferrets or an artificial peppermint odor significantly augmented nuclear Fos protein immunoreactivity (Fos-IR), a marker of neural activation, in several main olfactory bulb (MOB) sites but not in the AOB of gonadectomized male and females. Testosterone propionate (TP) significantly augmented the MOB's neuronal Fos responses to estrous females' pheromones, but not to peppermint. Estrous odors, but not peppermint, also augmented neuronal Fos-IR in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of female, but not male, subjects. Pheromones in soiled bedding from breeding male ferrets significantly augmented neuronal Fos-IR in the MOB and in the medial amygdala of gonadectomized, TP-treated male and female subjects. Again, male pheromones failed to influence neuronal Fos-IR in the AOB of either sex, and only females showed significant increases in neuronal Fos-IR in the lateral aspect of the ventromedial nucleus and mPOA, These results point to an essential role among higher mammals of the main olfactory epithelium-MOB projection to the hypothalamus in detecting and processing pheromones. Gonadectomized ferrets showed significant increases in sniffing behavior when placed on either female or male bedding. This occurred regardless of whether they had received TP or oil vehicle, suggesting that testosterone's facilitation of neuronal Fos responses to estrous females' odors in the MOB of both sexes cannot be attributed to increased scent gathering. Androgen receptor-IR was present in the MOB granule cell layer of male and female ferrets, raising the possibility that testosterone acts directly on these cells to augment their responsiveness to pheromones.