Collaborative Research: A functional complex of mating behavior traits features hypervariable protein pheromones.

动物的求偶行为通常包括通过一系列复杂的行为获得潜在配偶的注意：视觉暗示、身体接触、发声或信息素。许多脊椎动物会产生影响雄性和雌性相互作用的信息素。在我们的蜥蜴交配系统中，当雌性需要说服来回应雄性时，雄性信息素就会在求偶过程中释放出来。这一研究系统聚焦于陆生火蜥蜴，因为这些脊椎动物的交配系统强烈地基于求偶过程中的信息素交流。我们可以从火蜥蜴的信息素交流中学到的东西，将与包括人类在内的所有脊椎动物的化学交流有关。在过去的工作中，这个小组记录了雄性求偶信息素对雌性生殖行为的影响。这些信息素显然可以增加雌性对雄性的接受度。这个研究小组还掌握了有关雄性信息素的生化性质的基本信息：可以合成的非挥发性蛋白质。这项新的研究解决了这样的问题，即雄性的信息素混合物实际上是如何刺激雌性的，信息素的影响是通过雌性的嗅觉反应、大脑活动和交配行为来衡量的。雌性对合成信息素的特定混合物的反应将被记录下来。这个小组预计：(A)信息素蛋白质在组合使用时会产生更强的影响，(B)女性对特定组合的偏好有所不同。我们建议的一个优势是，研究生和本科生都将在至少三个不同的研究实验室接受跨学科培训，重点是该建议的不同领域(生物化学、行为科学和神经组织学)，以及收集和维护火蜥蜴的实地研究经验。该团队将继续与大学和当地高中的科学项目进行外联工作，以增强学生对科学研究的理解。

Courtship behavior in animals typically involves gaining the attention of a potential mate by using a complicated set of behaviors: visual cues, physical contact, vocalizations, or pheromones. Many vertebrates produce pheromones that affect male-female interactions. In our salamander mating system, male pheromones are delivered during courtship when a female requires persuasion to respond to the male. This study system has focused on terrestrial salamanders because these vertebrate animals have a mating system that is strongly based on pheromone communication during courtship. What we can learn from pheromone communication in salamanders will relate to chemical communication across all vertebrates, including humans. In past work, this group has documented the effect of male courtship pheromones on female reproductive behavior. These pheromones clearly act to increase the female's receptivity to the male. This research team also has basic information about the biochemical nature of the male pheromones: non-volatile proteins that can be synthesized. This new research addresses questions on how a male's pheromone mixture actually functions to stimulate a female, with pheromone effects measured in terms of her olfactory response, brain activity, and mating behavior. Female responses to specific mixtures of synthesized pheromones will be recorded. This group expects that (a) pheromone proteins will elicit the stronger effects when used in combination, and (b) females vary in their preference for particular combinations. A strength of our proposal is that both graduate and undergraduate students will receive interdisciplinary training in at least three different research laboratories focusing on different areas of the proposal (biochemistry, behavioral science, and neurohistology), as well as field research experience collecting and maintaining salamanders. This team will continue their outreach efforts with university and local high school science programs to enhance students' understanding of scientific research.