Chemoreception: identifying friends and foes

Curr Biol. 2011 Dec 20;21(24):R998-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.038.

Abstract

The vomeronasal organ detects chemical cues that trigger sexual, aggressive and defensive behaviors. An in situ hybridization analysis has identified the specificities of nearly a hundred VNO receptors and elucidated the logic by which they encode these cues.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Birds
  • Chemoreceptor Cells / drug effects
  • Chemoreceptor Cells / metabolism*
  • Cues
  • Early Growth Response Protein 1 / genetics
  • Early Growth Response Protein 1 / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Male
  • Mammals
  • Mice
  • Odorants
  • Pheromones / metabolism
  • Pheromones / pharmacology
  • Receptors, Odorant / metabolism
  • Sex Characteristics
  • Species Specificity
  • Vomeronasal Organ / drug effects
  • Vomeronasal Organ / physiology*

Substances

  • Early Growth Response Protein 1
  • Egr1 protein, mouse
  • Pheromones
  • Receptors, Odorant