Hormonal and pheromonal control of reproduction

研究了激素和信息素对蝾螈生殖行为的调控作用，重点研究了与蝾螈生殖行为表达相关的激素和信息素。在繁殖季节，雄性蝾螈表现出特定的求偶行为；在雌性伴侣前的尾巴振动，释放吸引雌性的信息素（sodefrin）并沉积精囊。结果表明，这是由催乳素（PRL）和雄激素引起的。精氨酸血管催产素（AVT）通过V - la受体增强了这种行为的表达。在这种情况下，PRL和AVT被证明是集中作用的。在PRL的情况下，作用部位被假定为位于视前隐窝器官和/或背基底核的神经元，那里有丰富的免疫反应性PRL受体。AVT也可能通过外周作用诱导钠精素和精包的放电。由于PRL和雄激素升高了sodefrin前体mRNA水平，因此可以认为PRL和雄激素增强了泄殖腔腹腺中sodefrin前体蛋白的合成。雌性蝾螈的粪鼻上皮对sodefrin的反应也受到PRL和雌激素的控制。从鱼腹腺cDNA文库中获得sodefrin前体样蛋白cDNA。根据推导出的蛋白质氨基酸序列，认为该蛋白是由两个氨基酸残基取代的十肽。这种推测的信息素是从隐密瓢虫的腹腺中分离出来的，并证实其存在生物活性。被称为silefrin的信息素只对特定的雌性有效，就像sodefrin的情况一样，这表明蝾螈信息素是物种特异性的。

Hormonal and pheromonal control of reproduction was investigated focusing on the hormones and pheromones involved in the expression of reproductive behavior in the newt, Cynopus pyrrhogaster. During the breeding season, the male newt exhibit a specific courtship behavior; vibration of the tail in front of the female partner discharge of a female-attracting pheromone (sodefrin) and deposition of spermatophores. The tail vibration was revealed to be induced by prolactin (PRL) and androgen. The expression of this behavior was enhanced by arginine vasotocin (AVT) via V la receptor. In this case, PRL and AVT were evidenced to act centrally. In the case of PRL, the site of action was postulated to be neurons situated in the preoptic recess organ and / or nucleus infundibularis dorsalis where immunoreactive PRL receptors are abundant AVT also induced the discharge of both sodefrin and spermatophore presumably by acting peripherally. Synthesis of sodefrin precursor protein in the abdominal gland of the cloaca was considered to be enhanced by PRL and androgen since sodefrin precursor mRNA levels were elevated by PRL and androgen. Responsiyeness of the vomeronasal epithelium of the female newt to sodefrin was also revealed to be under the control of PRL and estrogen as judged from electroolfactogram response. Sodefrin-precursor-like protein cDNA was obtained from a cDNA library of C. ensicauda abdominal gland. According to the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein, sodefrin-like pheromone of C. ensicauda was considered to be decapeptide with a substitution of two amino acid residues. This putative pheromone was isolated from the abdominal gland of C. ensicauda and presence of its bioactivity was confirmed. The pheromone, designated silefrin, was effective only on the conspesific female, as in the case of sodefrin, suggesting the newt pheromones are species-specifia.