The DOI matches its Crossref record; 30 of the 30 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Ultrasensitive pheromone detection by mammalian vomeronasal neurons
Abstract
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemoreceptive organ that is thought to transduce pheromones into electrical responses that regulate sexual, hormonal and reproductive function in mammals. The characteristics of pheromone signal detection by vomeronasal neurons remain unclear. Here we use a mouse VNO slice preparation to show that six putative pheromones evoke excitatory responses in single vomeronasal neurons, leading to action potential generation and elevated calcium entry. The detection threshold for some of these chemicals is remarkably low, near 10(-11) M, placing these neurons among the most sensitive chemodetectors in mammals. Using confocal calcium imaging, we map the epithelial representation of the pheromones to show that each of the ligands activates a unique, nonoverlapping subset of vomeronasal neurons located in apical zones of the epithelium. These neurons show highly selective tuning properties and their tuning curves do not broaden with increasing concentrations of ligand, unlike those of receptor neurons in the main olfactory epithelium. These findings provide a basis for understanding chemical signals that regulate mammalian communication and sexual behaviour.
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“Recently, Leinders-Zufall et al. showed physiological responses in mouse VSNs to substances reported to be pheromones in that species (Leinders-Zufall et al., 2000).”
From Human Vomeronasal Organ Function: A Critical Review of Best and Worst Cases (2001) · cites this paper as Leinders-Zufall et al., 2000
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Firestein, S. (2001) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35093026 · Cited by 1,261
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Genes and ligands for odorant, vomeronasal and taste receptors
Mombaerts, P. (2004) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1365 · Cited by 693
Molecular detection of pheromone signals in mammals: from genes to behaviour
Dulac, C. G., & Torello, A. T. (2003) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1140 · Cited by 662
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Metadata
- Authors
- Leinders-Zufall, T., Lane, A. P., Puche, A. C., Ma, W., Novotny, M. V., Shipley, M. T., & Zufall, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- Indiana University Bloomington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zufall, Frank
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2000-06-15
- Volume
- 405
- Issue
- 6788
- Pages
- 792-796
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W1544860128
- Cited by
- 576
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 15.05
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Simons Foundation
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Keywords
- vomeronasal organ, vomeronasal sensory neurons, pheromone detection, calcium imaging, action potential generation, olfactory epithelium, sexual behavior
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Calcium, Electrophysiology, Female, Ligands, Male, Pheromones, Signal Transduction, Olfactory Receptor Neurons, Microscopy, Confocal, Vomeronasal Organ, Mice
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