Acceleration and delay of sexual maturation in female house mice previously selected for early and late first vaginal oestrus.

Abstract

Female mice previously selected for early and late sexual maturation were tested to determine whether they retained flexibility in age of puberty in response to pheromonal and social cues. First vaginal oestrus in fst-maturing females could be delayed but not accelerated by social cues. Conversely, puberty in slow-maturing females could be accelerated in their sexual development, but not delayed. Two additional experiments demonstrated that mice from the fast- and slow-maturing lines retained the capacity to accelerate and delay puberty via pheromonal and social cues.