The Vomeronasal System Mediates Sick Conspecific Avoidance
The Vomeronasal System Mediates Sick Conspecific Avoidance
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cub.2014.11.061
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发表时间：
2015-01-19
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Rodriguez, Ivan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Boillat, Madlaina;Challet, Ludivine;Rodriguez, Ivan
虽然社交能力有很多优点，但一个主要缺点是暴露于寄生虫、病毒或细菌等传染性病原体的风险增加。社会性物种进化出了各种行为策略，减少了病原体暴露的可能性[2]。在啮齿动物中，寄生或感染的共生物种发出的嗅觉线索可以诱导病态共生物种的回避[3-6]。参与这一行为的神经回路在很大程度上仍不清楚。我们观察到，处于急性炎症状态或感染病毒病原体的小鼠的身体产品中存在的嗅觉线索对同种特异性是厌恶的。我们发现这些化学信号触发了犁鼻系统的神经活动，该系统是一个控制各种先天行为的嗅觉子系统[7]。支持这些观察的功能相关性，我们表明，在犁鼻功能受损的小鼠中，对健康个体的偏好被取消。这些发现揭示了犁鼻系统发挥的一种新功能。
Although sociability offers many advantages, a major drawback is the increased risk of exposure to contagious pathogens, like parasites, viruses, or bacteria [1]. Social species have evolved various behavioral strategies reducing the probability of pathogen exposure [2]. In rodents, sick conspecific avoidance can be induced by olfactory cues emitted by parasitized or infected conspecifics [3-6]. The neural circuits involved in this behavior remain largely unknown. We observed that olfactory cues present in bodily products of mice in an acute inflammatory state or infected with a viral pathogen are aversive to conspecifics. We found that these chemical signals trigger neural activity in the vomeronasal system, an olfactory subsystem controlling various innate behaviors [7]. Supporting the functional relevance of these observations, we show that preference toward healthy individuals is abolished in mice with impaired vomeronasal function. These findings reveal a novel function played by the vomeronasal system.