PMID- 11578618
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20011207
LR  - 20190614
IS  - 0006-8993 (Print)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Linking)
VI  - 915
IP  - 1
DP  - 2001 Oct 5
TI  - Female odors lead to rapid activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 
      in neurons of the vomeronasal system.
PG  - 32-46
AB  - Pheromonal mediation of reproductive function proceeds along a neuroanatomical 
      pathway that connects the vomeronasal organ (VNO) at the periphery with 
      downstream target-sites in the amygdala and hypothalamus. The MAPK pathway is a 
      prominent cascade linking receptor activation to induction of effectors such as 
      c-Fos. We addressed the question: Does a specific pheromone stimulus lead to 
      activation (phosphorylation, P) of MAPK in the VN system of the male mouse? 
      Phosphorylation of MAPK in the VN system was evaluated 15-30 min and 1.5-2 h 
      after exposure to female odors, using immunocytochemical techniques. A rapid and 
      transient cytoplasmic expression of PMAPK was noted in the VNO with a unique 
      distribution of the expressing neurons in columns extending over the entire basal 
      to apical axis. A rapid and sustained expression was noted in most amygdaloid and 
      hypothalamic VN target-sites and also in a few amygdaloid and hypothalamic sites 
      outside the traditional VN system. The extent of expression and the subcellular 
      compartmentalization (nucleus, cytoplasm, processes) of PMAPK were 
      region-dependent. Of the VN target-sites, the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) 
      stood out in the lack of expression of PMAPK, in the high expression of the MAPK 
      enzyme itself and in the massive of expression of c-Fos. This expression profile 
      implicates another pathway(s) in mediating VNO signaling to the AOB. Our results 
      are the first to demonstrate the use of PMAPK to trace functional pathways. Based 
      on the wide cellular and intracellular expression of phosphorylated MAPK in the 
      VN system, we propose that the MAPK pathway plays an important role in mediating 
      female pheromone signaling in the male mouse.
FAU - Dudley, C A
AU  - Dudley CA
AD  - Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 
      5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9152, USA. 
      carol.dudley@utsouthwestern.edu
FAU - Chakravarty, S
AU  - Chakravarty S
FAU - Barnea, A
AU  - Barnea A
LA  - eng
GR  - MH 41784/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Brain Res
JT  - Brain research
JID - 0045503
RN  - 0 (Sex Attractants)
RN  - EC 2.7.11.24 (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases)
SB  - IM
MH  - Amygdala/cytology/drug effects/*enzymology
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cell Compartmentation/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Estrous Cycle/urine
MH  - Female
MH  - Hypothalamus/cytology/drug effects/*enzymology
MH  - Immunohistochemistry
MH  - MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Mice
MH  - Mice, Inbred ICR
MH  - Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/drug effects/*metabolism
MH  - Neurons/cytology/drug effects/*enzymology
MH  - Odorants
MH  - Olfactory Bulb/cytology/drug effects/*enzymology
MH  - Phosphorylation/drug effects
MH  - Sex Attractants/*pharmacology
MH  - Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Signal Transduction/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Smell/drug effects/physiology
MH  - Time Factors
MH  - Vomeronasal Organ/cytology/drug effects/*enzymology
EDAT- 2001/10/02 10:00
MHDA- 2002/01/05 10:01
CRDT- 2001/10/02 10:00
PHST- 2001/10/02 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2002/01/05 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/10/02 10:00 [entrez]
AID - S0006-8993(01)02820-7 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/s0006-8993(01)02820-7 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Brain Res. 2001 Oct 5;915(1):32-46. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(01)02820-7.