Sensory coding of pheromone signals in mammals.
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) of mammals plays an essential role in the detection of pheromones, chemical cues secreted by animals that elicit genetically programmed sexual and aggressive behaviors among conspecifics. The recent characterization of genes encoding molecular components of the VNO sensory response suggests that VNO neurons express a unique set of molecules to recognize and translate pheromone signals into neuronal electrical activity. Identification of these genes, which include putative pheromone receptor genes, has offered a new opportunity to uncover basic principles of pheromone sensory processing and important aspects of vomeronasal development.
Dulac
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. dulac@fas.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology*; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000502:physiology*; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000502:physiology*; D019147:Vomeronasal Organ / Q000502:physiology*
D010675:Pheromones; D018035:Receptors, Odorant