Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; email:
Annu Rev Physiol. 2014;76:151-75. doi: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021113-170334. Epub 2013 Aug 26.
Mammalian pheromones control a myriad of innate social behaviors and acutely regulate hormone levels. Responses to pheromones are highly robust, reproducible, and stereotyped and likely involve developmentally predetermined neural circuits. Here, I review several facets of pheromone transduction in mammals, including (a) chemosensory receptors and signaling components of the main olfactory epithelium and vomeronasal organ involved in pheromone detection; (b) pheromone-activated neural circuits subject to sex-specific and state-dependent modulation; and (c) the striking chemical diversity of mammalian pheromones, which range from small, volatile molecules and sulfated steroids to large families of proteins. Finally, I review (d) molecular mechanisms underlying various behavioral and endocrine responses, including modulation of puberty and estrous; control of reproduction, aggression, suckling, and parental behaviors; individual recognition; and distinguishing of own species from predators, competitors, and prey. Deconstruction of pheromone transduction mechanisms provides a critical foundation for understanding how odor response pathways generate instinctive behaviors.
哺乳动物信息素控制着无数先天的社会行为，并能敏锐地调节激素水平。对信息素的反应是高度强大、可重复和刻板的，可能涉及到发育预先确定的神经回路。在这里，我回顾了哺乳动物信息素转导的几个方面，包括(a) 参与信息素检测的主要嗅觉上皮和犁鼻器的化学感觉受体和信号成分；(b) 受性别特异性和状态依赖性调节的信息素激活神经回路；以及(c) 哺乳动物信息素的惊人化学多样性，包括从小的、挥发性分子和硫酸甾醇到大型蛋白质家族。最后，我回顾了(d) 各种行为和内分泌反应的分子机制，包括青春期和发情的调节；繁殖、攻击、哺乳和父母行为的控制；个体识别；以及区分自己的物种与捕食者、竞争者和猎物。信息素转导机制的解构为理解气味反应途径如何产生本能行为提供了重要基础。
