Abstract
Olfaction exerts a profound influence on reproductive physiology and behavior in many animals, including rodents. Odors are recognized by sensory neurons residing in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in mice and many other vertebrates. The relative contributions of the MOE and VNO in the display of female behaviors are not well understood. Mice null for Cnga2 or Trpc2 essentially lack odor-evoked activity in the MOE and VNO, respectively. Using females mutant for one or both of Cnga2 and Trpc2, we find that maternal care is differentially regulated by the MOE and VNO: retrieval of wandering pups requires the MOE and is regulated redundantly by the VNO whereas maternal aggression requires both sensory epithelia to be functional. Female sexual receptivity appears to be regulated by both the MOE and VNO. Trpc2 null females have previously been shown to display male-type mounting towards other males. Remarkably, we find that females double mutant for Cnga2 and Trpc2 continue to mount other males, indicating that the disinhibition of male-type sexual displays observed in Trpc2 null females does not require chemosensory input from a functional MOE. Taken together, our findings reveal a previously unappreciated complexity in the chemosensory control of reproductive behaviors in the female mouse.
Highlights
Many animals utilize olfaction as their primary sensory modality to recognize mates, food, and predators
These two epithelia utilize distinct signaling pathways to transduce odor recognition into neural activity, thereby permitting genetic analysis of the relative importance of the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in reproductive physiology and behavior. Such genetic studies in male mice have shown that both the MOE and VNO are essential for aggressive displays [5,6,7,8]. These studies show that control of sexual behavior in males is more complex, such that the MOE is required for the display of this behavior whereas the VNO functions to suppress the display of this behavior toward other males [5,6,7,8,9]
Signaling via the MOE and VNO is required for female sexual behavior but not estrous cyclicity
Summary
Many animals utilize olfaction as their primary sensory modality to recognize mates, food, and predators. Pheromones are recognized by sensory neurons residing in the MOE and the VNO in mice and many other animals [4] These two epithelia utilize distinct signaling pathways to transduce odor recognition into neural activity, thereby permitting genetic analysis of the relative importance of the MOE and the VNO in reproductive physiology and behavior. Such genetic studies in male mice have shown that both the MOE and VNO are essential for aggressive displays [5,6,7,8]. Pheromone recognition is important for normal female reproductive behaviors [3], the relative genetic contribution of signaling via the MOE and the VNO in these processes remains to be determined
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