Mammalian Reproductive Pheromone : Isolation and Study on Central Action.

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The purpose of the present study was to characterize the mechanisms of production, perception and brain stimulation of mammalian reproductive pheromones.(1) Pheromone production : castrated male Shiba goats were subcutaneously implanted with testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or eatradiol, and the effects on the production of male pheromone and on the development of sebaceous glands were examined. Androgen-induced sebaceous gland development was limited to the head region, whereas pheromone production was observed not only in the head but also in the rump region following DHT treatment The results suggest that pheromone production is not necessarily accompanied by sebaceous gland development implicating the existence of independent regulatory mechanisms for these two responses.(2) Pheromone perception : polyclonal antibody was produced against rat-pheromone receptor, and immunohistochemical analysis with it revealed the localization on the microvilli of vomeronasal nerves. Based on the sequence of genes encoding rat putative pheromone receptors the homologue genes were examined in the goat which identified the expression of type 2 homologue genes but not the type 1 family. Moreover, the analysis of G protein alpha subunits showed that the distinct region specific localization of Gi2 and Go in rodent species was not the case for other species such as goats, horses, dogs and marmosets.(3) Brain stimulation: Recording electrodes were placed in the medial basal hypothalamus of ovariectomized goats, and the specific MUA volleys were recorded to monitor the electrophysiological manifestation of the GnRH pulse generator activity. The exposure to the pheromone resulted in the immediate acceleration of the GnRH pulse generator activity and the duration of the effect corresponded well with the time of exposure. The central action of primer pheromone was thus demonstrated neurophysiologically on the real-time basis.