Sexual Differentiation of Mouse Vomeronasal Function

小鼠犁鼻功能的性别分化

• 批准号: 6438312
• 负责人: JAMES A. CHERRY
• 金额: $ 26.76万
• 依托单位: BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-12-01 至 2005-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6438312
• 关键词: animal communication behavior; behavioral /social science research tag; biological signal transduction; estradiol; estrogens; fluorescent in situ hybridization; fos protein; gender difference; immunocytochemistry; laboratory mouse; olfactions; olfactory lobe; olfactory stimulus; pheromone; receptor expression; sex hormones; testosterone; vomeronasal systems

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The vomeronasal organ (VNO) projection pathway mediates many of the effects of pheromones on essential psychosexual and neuroendocrine functions in a variety of vertebrate species. We have shown that different populations of neurons in the VNO of male and female mice respond to pheromones derived from male and female conspecifics and that estradiol and testosterone amplify these effects. Experiments are proposed to extend these findings by determining whether sex differences exist in the expression within the basal zone of the VNO of any three different V2R receptors previously cloned in mice, and whether any such differences in mRNA levels for these receptors are modulated by estradiol or testosterone. We will see whether the ability of male pheromones to augment Fos-IR in mitral cells that project to medial amygdaloid nuclei from the rostral as opposed to the caudal AOB differs in gonadectomized, estrogen-treated male and female mice and will use cellular compartment analysis of temporal activity by fluorescent in situ hybridization (catFISH) for the immediate-early-gene (IEG), c-fos, to determine whether mitral cells in the rostral versus caudal zones of the AOB are differentially activated by pheromones from male versus estrous female mice. Finally, we will determine whether the inhibition of male pheromone-induced IEG activation previously seen in the VNO of females two days after mating also occurs in male mice and in response to pheromones from both sexes, and we will assess the possible role of noradrenergic afferents from the superior cervical ganglia on the mating-induced 'silencing' of subsequent odor-induced IEG activation in the VNO. The results obtained in these studies should improve our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the effects of gender, steroid hormones, and previous coital experience on the processing of olfactory signals by the accessory olfactory system.

描述（由申请人提供）：犁鼻器（VNO）投影 途径介导信息素对基本性心理的许多影响 和多种脊椎动物的神经内分泌功能。我们已经展示了 雄性和雌性小鼠 VNO 中的不同神经元群 对来自男性和女性同种的信息素做出反应 雌二醇和睾酮会放大这些作用。建议进行实验 通过确定性别差异是否存在来扩展这些发现 任意三种不同 V2R 的 VNO 基底区内的表达 先前在小鼠体内克隆的受体，以及 mRNA 中是否存在此类差异 这些受体的水平由雌二醇或睾酮调节。我们将 看看雄性信息素是否能够增强二尖瓣细胞中的 Fos-IR 该项目从吻端投射到内侧杏仁核，而不是 尾部 AOB 在去性腺切除、雌激素治疗的雄性和雌性小鼠中存在差异 将通过荧光对时间活动进行细胞区室分析 立即早期基因 (IEG)、c-fos 的原位杂交 (catFISH) 确定二尖瓣细胞是否位于 AOB 的头端区和尾端区 男性和发情女性的信息素激活程度不同 老鼠。最后，我们将确定是否抑制男性 两天前在雌性 VNO 中观察到信息素诱导的 IEG 激活 交配后也发生在雄性小鼠中，并对来自双方的信息素做出反应 性别，我们将评估来自大脑的去甲肾上腺素能传入的可能作用 颈上神经节对交配引起的后续“沉默”的影响 VNO 中气味诱导的 IEG 激活。这些研究获得的结果 应该提高我们对神经生物学机制的理解 性别、类固醇激素和以前性交的影响的基础 副嗅觉处理嗅觉信号的经验 系统。