Abstract
Targeted sequencing, manual genome annotation, phylogenetic analysis and mass spectrometry were used to characterise major urinary proteins (MUPs) and the Mup clusters of two strains of inbred mice.
Highlights
The major urinary proteins (MUPs) of Mus musculus domesticus are deposited in urine in large quantities, where they bind and release pheromones and provide an individual 'recognition signal' via their phenotypic polymorphism
Selective cross-breeding of wild mice and the manipulation of MUP profiles using recombinant molecules have allowed us to conclude that mice remember and distinguish between the profiles of conspecifics; MUPs convey an individual recognition signal [6,9,19]
The mapping difficulties result from the high level of sequence conservation within the repeat elements, and they are not unprecedented; many of the remaining euchromatic sequence gaps in both the mouse and human genomes are found within regions containing high-identity sequence repeats, often linked to gene families
Summary
The major urinary proteins (MUPs) of Mus musculus domesticus are deposited in urine in large quantities, where they bind and release pheromones and provide an individual 'recognition signal' via their phenotypic polymorphism. Not all MUPs are excreted in urine, with the transcription of specific Mup genes having been detected in mammary, parotid, sublingual, submaxillary and lachrymal glands [22,23,24]. The function of such non-urinary MUPs is poorly understood, it is possible to envisage similar communication roles between mother and offspring, delivered through milk, saliva or even tears
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