Abstract
The mouse vomeronasal organ (VNO) expresses chemosensory receptors that detect intra-species as well as inter-species cues. The vomeronasal neurons are thought to be highly selective in their responses. The tuning properties of individual receptors remain difficult to characterize due to the lack of a robust heterologous expression system. Here, we take a transgenic approach to ectopically express two type 1 vomeronasal receptors in the mouse VNO and characterize their responses to steroid compounds. We find that V1rj2 and V1rj3 are sensitive to two sulfated estrogens (SEs) and can be activated by a broad variety of sulfated and glucuronidated steroids at high concentrations. Individual neurons exhibit narrow range of concentration-dependent activation. Collectively, a neuronal population expressing the same receptor covers a wide dynamic range in their responses to SEs. These properties recapitulate the response profiles of endogenous neurons to SEs.
Highlights
Terrestrial animals emit pheromones for intra-species chemo-communication
Activation of V1rj2 by Sulfated Estrogens In a previous study, we showed that the V1rj clade receptors respond to sulfated estrogens (SEs) by using transgenic mice lines in which V1rj2 and V1rj3 were ectopically expressed (Haga-Yamanaka et al, 2014)
By taking advantage of a transgenic system to ectopically express the V1Rs, we circumvent a major obstacle in characterizing vomeronasal receptors
Summary
Pheromones convey information about sexual, social, and reproductive status of individuals. They trigger a restricted repertoire of innate and stereotyped behaviors, including mating rituals, territorial aggression, and neuroendocrine responses (Wyatt, 2003). Each vomeronasal sensory neuron (VSN) expresses either a single member of V1R or FPR, or a specific pair of V2R genes (Ibarra-Soria et al, 2014; Liberles, 2014). These receptors are dedicated to detect a variety of chemosensory cues and transmit the signal to the brain
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