Villamayor P R, Robledo D, Fernández C, Gullón J, Quintela L, Sánchez-Quinteiro P, Martínez P
Department of Zoology Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain; Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK.
Genomics. 2021 Jul;113(4):2240-2252. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2021.05.007. Epub 2021 May 18.
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemosensory organ specialized in pheromone detection that shows a broad morphofunctional and genomic diversity among mammals. However, its expression patterns have only been well-characterized in mice. Here, we provide the first comprehensive RNA sequencing study of the rabbit VNO across gender and sexual maturation stages. We characterized the VNO transcriptome, updating the number and expression of the two main vomeronasal receptor families, including 128 V1Rs and 67 V2Rs. Further, we defined the expression of formyl-peptide receptor and transient receptor potential channel families, both known to have specific roles in the VNO. Several sex hormone-related pathways were consistently enriched in the VNO, highlighting the relevance of this organ in reproduction. Moreover, whereas juvenile and adult VNOs showed significant transcriptome differences, male and female did not. Overall, these results contribute to understand the genomic basis of behavioural responses mediated by the VNO in a non-rodent model.
犁鼻器（VNO）是一种专门用于检测信息素的化学感应器官，在哺乳动物中表现出广泛的形态功能和基因组多样性。然而，其表达模式仅在小鼠中得到了充分表征。在此，我们首次对不同性别和性成熟阶段的兔犁鼻器进行了全面的RNA测序研究。我们对犁鼻器转录组进行了表征，更新了两个主要犁鼻器受体家族的数量和表达情况，包括128个V1R和67个V2R。此外，我们还确定了甲酰肽受体和瞬时受体电位通道家族的表达，已知它们在犁鼻器中具有特定作用。几个与性激素相关的途径在犁鼻器中持续富集，突出了该器官在生殖中的相关性。而且，尽管幼年和成年犁鼻器表现出显著的转录组差异，但雄性和雌性之间没有差异。总体而言，这些结果有助于理解在非啮齿动物模型中由犁鼻器介导的行为反应的基因组基础。
