IRC-EB: The Evolution of a Pheromone Signaling System: From Molecules to Mating

这个系统的特点是雄性在求爱时向雌性传递非挥发性信息素(化学信号)。这种化学交流系统在脊椎动物中是独一无二的，在进化过程中一直被不同的多齿类动物所保留。最近，人们已经证实，多齿类信息素增加了雌性的性接受能力，这一点从完成得更快的求爱中得到了证明。它还被确定信息素是一种蛋白质。该蛋白质的氨基酸序列已经确定，以及产生信息素蛋白质的基因的核苷酸序列。此外，已经确定信息素蛋白属于细胞因子家族，包括干扰素和白介素类。这些发现的系统发生背景为研究从基因到蛋白质再到行为的因果路径的进化提供了一个绝佳的机会。本项目包含一个概念性框架，该框架一般适用于研究多个组织级别的通信系统的演变变化。

Lynne Houck - NSF 0110666" IRC: The Evolution of a Pheromone Signaling System: From Molecules to Mating"LAY SUMMARYTerrestrial salamanders have a unique system of chemical communication. This system features non-volatile pheromones (chemical signals) that a male delivers to the female during courtship. The male courtship pheromone is produced by an enlarged gland under the male's chin, and the male taps this gland on the female's nose in order to deliver his pheromone. In their subsequent evolutionary history, plethodontids modified this pheromone delivery system in a variety of ways, including delivery methods in which the pheromone is "injected" into the female's circulatory system. This chemical communication system -unique among vertebrates- has been retained by diverse groups of plethodontids throughout their evolutionary radiation. Recently, it has been established that the plethodontid pheromone increases female sexual receptivity, as indicated by courtships that are completed more rapidly. It also has been determined that the pheromone is a protein. The amino acid sequence of this protein has been identified, as well as the nucleotide sequence of the gene that produces the pheromone protein. Furthermore, it has been established that the pheromone protein is in a cytokine family that includes interferons and interleukins. The phylogenetic setting for these discoveries offers an outstanding opportunity to investigate the evolution of the causal pathway from gene to protein to behavior. This project embraces a conceptual framework that is generally applicable to the study of evolutionary change in communication systems at multiple levels of organization.