Site-specific effects of anosmia and cloacal gland anesthesia on Fos expression induced in male quail brain by sexual behavior.
In rats, expression of the immediate early gene, c-fos observed in the brain following male copulatory behavior relates mostly to the detection of olfactory information originating from the female and to somatosensory feedback from the penis. However, quail, like most birds, are generally considered to have a relatively poorly developed sense of smell. Furthermore, quail have no intromittent organ (e.g., penis). It is therefore intriguing that expression of male copulatory behavior induces in quail and rats a similar pattern of c-fos expression in the medial preoptic area (mPOA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTM) and parts of the amygdala. We analyzed here by immunocytochemistry Fos expression in the mPOA/BSTM/amygdala of male quail that had been allowed to copulate with a female during standardized tests. Before these tests, some of the males had either their nostrils plugged, or their cloacal area anesthetized, or both. A control group was not exposed to females. These manipulations did not affect frequencies of male sexual behavior and all birds exposed to a female copulated normally. In the mPOA, the increased Fos expression induced by copulation was not affected by the cloacal gland anesthesia but was markedly reduced in subjects deprived of olfactory input. Both manipulations affected copulation-induced Fos expression in the BSTM. No change in Fos expression was observed in the amygdala. Thus immediate early gene expression in the mPOA and BSTM of quail is modulated at least in part by olfactory cues and/or somatosensory stimuli originating from the cloacal gland. Future work should specify the nature of these stimuli and their function in the expression of avian male sexual behavior.
Taziaux
Mélanie
M
Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, 1 Avenue de l' Hôpital (Bat. B36), B-4000 Liège 1, Belgium.
Keller
Matthieu
M
Ball
Gregory F
GF
Balthazart
Jacques
J
D000679:Amygdala / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D009919:Orchiectomy / Q000379:methods; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000378:metabolism; D011784:Quail; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013545:Sweat Glands / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology
D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos; D008012:Lidocaine