PMID- 35437747
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20220809
LR  - 20221110
IS  - 1469-7580 (Electronic)
IS  - 0021-8782 (Print)
IS  - 0021-8782 (Linking)
VI  - 241
IP  - 3
DP  - 2022 Sep
TI  - The vomeronasal system in semiaquatic beavers.
PG  - 809-819
LID - 10.1111/joa.13671 [doi]
AB  - In contrast to the main olfactory system that detects volatile chemicals in the 
      nasal air, the vomeronasal system can detect nonvolatile chemicals as well as 
      volatiles. In the vomeronasal system, chemicals are perceived by the vomeronasal 
      organ (VNO) projecting axons to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Beavers 
      (Castor spp.) are semiaquatic mammals that have developed chemical communication. 
      It is possible that the beaver's anal gland secretions, nonvolatile and insoluble 
      substances, may work as a messenger in the water and that beavers may detect the 
      nonvolatile chemicals floating on the water surface via the VNO. The present 
      study aimed to clarify the specificities of the beaver vomeronasal system by 
      histologically and immunohistochemically analyzing the VNO and AOB of 12 Eurasian 
      beavers (C. fiber). The VNO directly opened to the nasal cavity and was 
      independent of a narrow nasopalatine duct connecting the oral and nasal cavities. 
      The VNO comprised soft tissues including sensory and nonsensory epithelium, 
      glands, a venous sinus, an artery, as well as cartilage inner, and bone outer 
      enclosures. The AOB had distinct six layers, and anti-G protein alpha-i2 and alpha-o 
      subunits were, respectively, immunoreactive in rostral and caudal glomeruli 
      layers indicating expressions of V1Rs and V2Rs. According to gene repertories 
      analysis, the beavers had 23 and six intact V1R and V2R genes respectively. These 
      findings suggested that beavers recognize volatile odorants and nonvolatile 
      substances using the vomeronasal system. The beaver VNO was developed as well as 
      in other rodents, and it had two specific morphological features, namely, 
      disadvantaged contact with the oral cavity because of a tiny nasopalatine duct, 
      and a double bone and cartilage envelope. Our results highlight the importance of 
      the vomeronasal system in beaver chemical communication and support the 
      possibility that beavers can detect chemicals floating on the water surface via 
      the VNO.
CI  - (c) 2022 Anatomical Society.
FAU - Tomiyasu, Jumpei
AU  - Tomiyasu J
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-9341-3688
AD  - Department of Biodiversity Protection, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food 
      Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland.
FAU - Korzekwa, Anna
AU  - Korzekwa A
AD  - Department of Biodiversity Protection, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food 
      Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland.
FAU - Kawai, Yusuke K
AU  - Kawai YK
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and 
      Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
FAU - Robstad, Christian A
AU  - Robstad CA
AD  - Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, 
      Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, 
      Telemark, Norway.
FAU - Rosell, Frank
AU  - Rosell F
AD  - Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, Faculty of Technology, 
      Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, 
      Telemark, Norway.
FAU - Kondoh, Daisuke
AU  - Kondoh D
AD  - Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and 
      Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
LA  - eng
GR  - MINATURA (2020/04/X/NZ9/01711)/Polish National Science Center/
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20220418
PL  - England
TA  - J Anat
JT  - Journal of anatomy
JID - 0137162
RN  - 059QF0KO0R (Water)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Olfactory Bulb/metabolism
MH  - Rodentia
MH  - *Vomeronasal Organ/anatomy & histology
MH  - Water/analysis/metabolism
PMC - PMC9358757
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Castor
OT  - nonvolatile chemicals
OT  - rodents
OT  - semiaquatic mammals
OT  - vomeronasal system
OT  - water adaptation
EDAT- 2022/04/20 06:00
MHDA- 2022/08/10 06:00
PMCR- 2024/09/01
CRDT- 2022/04/19 06:02
PHST- 2022/03/16 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2022/02/07 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/04/04 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2024/09/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
PHST- 2022/04/20 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/08/10 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2022/04/19 06:02 [entrez]
AID - JOA13671 [pii]
AID - 10.1111/joa.13671 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Anat. 2022 Sep;241(3):809-819. doi: 10.1111/joa.13671. Epub 2022 Apr 18.