Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have been shown to control formation and differentiation of multiple organ systems in the developing vertebrate embryo. The analysis of differential gene expression during embryogenesis is, therefore, a potent tool to identify novel target genes regulated by FGF signalling. Here, we have applied microarray analysis to identify differentially regulated genes in F...

In a previous communication the writer ('12) described the vomero-nasal apparatus in the opossum and other mammals. It was shown that the vomero-nasal organ, the vomero-nasal nerves and the accessory olfactory bulb are parts of a special olfactory mechanism the specific function of which still remains doubtful. It is with the idea that a careful comparative study of this apparatus in the differ...

Vertebrate olfaction comprises two anatomically distinct systems: the main olfactory system, which responds generally to environmental odorants, and the vomeronasal system, which transduces species-specific cues into stereotyped behavior. Although molecular characterization of the vomeronasal system has lagged a few years behind that of the main olfactory system, putative phermone receptor gene...

The mechanisms that underlie axonal pathfinding of vomeronasal neurons from the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in the periphery to select glomeruli in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) are not well understood. Neuropilin-2, a receptor for secreted semaphorins, is expressed in V1R- and V3R-expressing, but not V2R-expressing, postnatal vomeronasal neurons. Analysis of the vomeronasal nerve in neuropili...

Previous studies have shown that female preferences for male pheromones depend on the female's reproductive condition and the dominance status of the male. However, it is unknown which olfactory system detects the odors that result in a preference for a dominant male. Therefore, in the present study, we asked whether dominant versus subordinate male urinary odors differentially activate the mai...

The olfactory area of the nasal cavity is lined with olfactory receptor cell cilia that come in contact with incoming odor molecules. Ultrastructural immunocytochemical studies in rodents have shown that these cilia contain all the proteins necessary to transduce the odorous message into an electrical signal that can be transmitted to the brain. These signaling proteins include putative odor re...

Until recently it was widely believed that the ability of female mammals (with the likely exception of women) to identify and seek out a male breeding partner relied on the detection of non-volatile male pheromones by the female's vomeronasal organ (VNO) and their subsequent processing by a neural circuit that includes the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), vomeronasal amygdala, and hypothalamus. ...

Drosophila melanogaster has an olfactory organ called the maxillary palp. It is smaller and numerically simpler than the antenna, and its specific role in behavior has long been unclear. Because of its proximity to the mouthparts, I explored the possibility of a role in taste behavior. Maxillary palp was tuned to mediate odor-induced taste enhancement: a sucrose solution was more appealing when...

the sense of olfaction reached its zenith in development much earlier than other special senses. olfaction is much more acute than the other senses, exhibits both high sensitivity for odours and high discrimination between them. this plays a very important role even in the social and behavioral aspects of human beings. recent studies using molecular genetics, electrophysiology and behavioral an...

Circadian rhythms are observed in mating behaviors in moths: females emit sex pheromones and males are attracted by these pheromones in rhythmic fashions. In the moth Spodoptera littoralis, we demonstrated the occurrence of a circadian oscillator in the antenna, the peripheral olfactory organ. We identified different clock genes, period (per), cryptochrome1 (cry1) and cryptochrome2 (cry2), in t...