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Leslie Vosshall April 19, 2010 Pheromones and Behavior
April 19: Lecture (PPT available tonight)
http://njc.rockefeller.edu/VosshallBN2010.php
April 26: Presentations (PDFs tonight)
http://njc.rockefeller.edu/VosshallBN2010.php
• Mouse alarm-sensing organ
Anna Kruyer
• Orchids trick hornets into pollinating
Jilda Caccavo
• How this deception harms the insects
Theresa Teslovich
Suggested Reading
Tristram Wyatt Pheromones and Animal Behaviour David Michael Stoddart The Scented Ape : The Biology and Culture of Human Odour $75 $37
What is a Pheromone?
”defined chemical signal between members of the same species, eliciting a particular behavior or physiological change...”
Semiochemicals: Infochemicals Pheromones (Communcation within species) Both Sender + Receiver benefit Allelochemicals: Between species Synomones: Both Sender + Receiver Benefit Kairomones: Receiver Benefits (Sender does not) Allomones: Sender Benefits (Receiver does not)
Broader Definition: Pheromones
”any chemical signal conveying information between members of the same species or different species”
What behaviors do we need?
Some behaviors governed by pheromones Mate Choice Sexual Maturation Successful Fertilization (Aquatic Animals) Kin Recognition Caste and Reproductive Status (Social Animals) Menstrual Synchrony Maternal-Infant Bonding Infant Suckling —Nipple Recognition Dominance Hierarchy Aggression Territory and Trail Marking Deception (Plant->Animal) Deception (Animal->Animal) Aggregation Intruder Alarm
What do you look for in a perfect mate?
What do you look for in a perfect mate?
1. Same species 2. Opposite sex 3. Sexually mature 4. Still fertile 5. Good social standing 6. Good genes 7. Alive 8. Not a sibling 9. Not a parent 10. Receptive 11. Available
Formula for the perfect social signal: 1. Cheap to transmit 2. Cheap to receive 3. Discreet 4. Selective 5. Effective in the dark/barriers 6. Long-range 7. Long-lasting 8. Easy homing/identification
VISUAL
AUDIO
CHEMICAL
Brennan & Keverne, Curr. Biol. 14:R81 –R89 (2004) cockroach sex pheromone
The Problem Nocturnal moths
Silkmoth
Bombyx mori
Wyatt Book Marking Behavior-Mara rodent
Wyatt Book Marking, Territorial Behavior Badger
Pheromones-Dominance Hierarchy
Alarm Pheromones
Marking Behavior-desert ant
Trail Marking-leaf cutter ant
Dauer pheromones-C.elegans
High Density/Limiting Food
Mimicry: Pheromones Subverted for Deception Australian orchid D. glyptodon traps male Z.Trilobatus wasps Bolas spiders vs. moths
What are the problems?
Making chemical signals that convey information and broadcast/distribute them Detecting & discriminating signals among the noise Responding to signals quickly and clearly and making the right decision
What are the problems?
Making chemical signals that convey information
Where do pheromones come from?
Urine Sweat Tears Other glands… James Auger MoMA
Wyatt Book Pheromone-Producing Glands-Insects
Wyatt Book Pheromone-Producing Glands-Mammals
Putative evolution of Pheromones Wyatt Book
Wyatt Book
Primer Pheromones
Mate Quality: MHC (mice)
Mate Quality: MHC (human)
MHC Class I Peptides as Chemosensory Signals in the Vomeronasal Organ Trese Leinders-Zufall et al. Science 306:1033-1037, 2004
Sex (Releaser) Pheromones
Manduca sexta female pheromone blend
E10E12Z14-16Al E10E12E14-16Al E10Z12-16Al Z11-16Al E11-16Al Z9-16Al 16Al Z11Z13-18Al Z13-18Al Z11-18Al 18Al 11.3 1.2 3.9 13.4 6.8 0.8 15.7 1.4 2.2 6.2 4.8
Wyatt Book Sex Pheromones
Mouse mammary pheromone (THE FIRST VERIFIED MAMMALIAN PHEROMONE)
Schaal et al., Nature 424, 68-72 , 2003
Schaal et al., Nature 424, 68-72 , 2003
Protein pheromones that promote aggressive behavior in mice
Chamero et al., Nature 450:899-902, 2007
Chamero et al., Nature 450:899-902, 2007
Chamero et al., Nature 450:899-902, 2007
Chamero et al., Nature 450:899-902, 2007
The first chemically isolated pheromone (from 70,000 female silk moths; Butenandt, 1952) bombykol bombykal
C. elegans dauer pheromone (- )-6R-(3'R, 5'R-dihydroxy-6'S-methyltetrahydro-pyran-2'R-yloxy) heptanoic acid Jeong et al., Nature 433:541, 2005.
What are the problems?
Detecting signals among the noise
Insects use ~70 ionotropic receptors for odors and pheromones Ha and Smith, Cell 133:761-763, 2008
Labeled line processing of carbon dioxide in the fly brain Activation=Aversion Jing Wang, Richard Axel
bombykol =come to me bombykal =go away
Nakagawa et al., Science 2005
Smells are detected by ~1000 ORs
Mammalian chemosensory neurons use G protein-signaling
V1R: expressed with G α i and TRP2 Smaller gene family ~50: putative small molecule ligands
V2R: expressed with G α o and TRP2 (and MHC M10) Smaller gene family ~70: putative peptide ligands
What are the problems?
Responding to signals quickly and clearly
Stowers & Logan, Curr Opin Neurobiol (2010)
Brennan & Keverne, Curr. Biol. 14:R81 –R89 (2004)
Male Insect Antennae: Specialized to Detect Female Pheromones
In the fly brain, a few glomeruli in the antennal lobe are sexually dimorphic in size Image taken from Kondoh
et al.
(2003)
Male and female terminal axonal arbors are different in the fly brain Datta et al., Nature 452:473-477, 2008
Hype and hyperbole about human pheromones And some data…
NO VNO
Sequential Sensory Decisions in Sexual Courtship: Correct Species?
Correct Gender?
Sexually Receptive?
Other Quality Control Criteria (usually monitored by Females) Size?
Strength?
Other indicators of good “gene pool”?
PHEROMONES IN HUMANS?
•
Kin recognition-family member vs. partner
PHEROMONES IN HUMANS?
•
Kin recognition-partner vs. stranger
PHEROMONES IN HUMANS?
•
Kin recognition-mother/child
PHEROMONES IN HUMANS?
•
Menstrual synchrony
Stern & McClintock Nature 1998 392:177
Realm Men by Realm Pheromone for Men Realm Pheromones Women by Realm Pheromone for Women ”Realm, the fragrances with human pheromones. Only Realm adds this extra dimension of human Pleasure. Awaken your sixth sense. Experience REALM. Contains human pheromones.”
Active Ingredient: androstenone (pig pheromone)
Please contact me if you have any questions about my lecture.
Leslie Vosshall [email protected]
April 19, 2010