Boehm Thomas, Zufall Frank
Department of Developmental Immunology, Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
Trends Neurosci. 2006 Feb;29(2):100-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2005.11.006. Epub 2005 Dec 6.
Social interactions, such as finding and identifying a mate, often rely on the ability to sense molecular cues carrying information about genetic relationship and individuality. We summarize recent evidence for an unexpected mechanistic link between the immune and olfactory systems in enabling this identification process. In addition to their established role in the immune response, peptide ligands of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules constitute a previously unknown family of social recognition signals detected by specific subsets of sensory neurons in the mammalian nose. This sensing of MHC peptides can be viewed as a form of functional genome analysis by the nose. Behavioral studies in mice and fish show that MHC peptides are accepted as olfactory cues that influence mate choice decisions and selective pregnancy failure. These findings provide a molecular mechanism by which an individual can sense the composition and compatibility of vital immune system molecules of a conspecific, with direct consequences for social behavior.
社交互动，例如寻找和识别配偶，通常依赖于感知携带有关遗传关系和个体性信息的分子线索的能力。我们总结了近期的证据，证明免疫和嗅觉系统之间存在意想不到的机制联系，从而促成这一识别过程。主要组织相容性复合体（MHC）分子的肽配体除了在免疫反应中已确立的作用外，还构成了一个以前未知的社会识别信号家族，可被哺乳动物鼻腔中特定的感觉神经元亚群检测到。对MHC肽的这种感知可被视为鼻子进行的一种功能基因组分析形式。对小鼠和鱼类的行为研究表明，MHC肽被视为嗅觉线索，会影响配偶选择决定和选择性妊娠失败。这些发现提供了一种分子机制，通过该机制个体能够感知同种个体重要免疫系统分子的组成和兼容性，这对社会行为具有直接影响。
