Torres Mateo V, Ortiz-Leal Irene, Ferreiro Andrea, Rois José Luis, Sanchez-Quinteiro Pablo
Department of Anatomy, Animal Production and Clinical Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
Marcelle Nature Park, Outeiro de Rei, Lugo, Spain.
Microsc Res Tech. 2023 Sep;86(9):1206-1233. doi: 10.1002/jemt.24392. Epub 2023 Jul 26.
Dama gazelle is a threatened and rarely studied species found primarily in northern Africa. Human pressure has depleted the dama gazelle population from tens of thousands to a few hundred individuals. Since 1970, a founder population consisting of the last 17 surviving individuals in Western Sahara has been maintained in captivity, reproducing naturally. In preparation for the future implementation of assisted reproductive technology, certain aspects of dama gazelle reproductive biology have been established. However, the role played by semiochemical-mediated communications in the sexual behavior of dama gazelle remains unknown due partially to a lack of a neuroanatomical or morphofunctional characterization of the dama gazelle vomeronasal organ (VNO), which is the sensory organ responsible for pheromone processing. The present study characterized the dama gazelle VNO, which appears fully equipped to perform neurosensory functions, contributing to current understanding of interspecies VNO variability among ruminants. By employing histological, lectin-histochemical, and immunohistochemical techniques, we conducted a detailed morphofunctional evaluation of the dama gazelle VNO along its entire longitudinal axis. Our findings of significant structural and neurochemical transformation along the entire VNO suggest that future studies of the VNO should take a similar approach. The present study contributes to current understanding of dama gazelle VNO, providing a basis for future studies of semiochemical-mediated communications and reproductive management in this species. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This exhaustive immunohistological study of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of the dama gazelle provides the first evidence of notable differences in the expression of neuronal markers along the rostrocaudal axis of the VNO. This provides a morphological basis for the implementation of pheromones in captive populations of dama gazelle.
鹿瞪羚是一种濒危且鲜少被研究的物种，主要分布在北非。人类活动的压力已使鹿瞪羚的数量从数万锐减至几百只。自1970年以来，由西撒哈拉地区仅存的最后17只鹿瞪羚组成的奠基种群一直被圈养，并自然繁殖。为未来辅助生殖技术的实施做准备，鹿瞪羚生殖生物学的某些方面已被确定。然而，由于部分缺乏对鹿瞪羚犁鼻器（VNO，负责处理信息素的感觉器官）的神经解剖学或形态功能特征描述，半化学物质介导的通讯在鹿瞪羚性行为中所起的作用仍不清楚。本研究对鹿瞪羚的犁鼻器进行了特征描述，其似乎具备完整的执行神经感觉功能的能力，有助于增进目前对反刍动物种间犁鼻器变异性的理解。通过运用组织学、凝集素组织化学和免疫组织化学技术，我们对鹿瞪羚犁鼻器沿其整个纵轴进行了详细的形态功能评估。我们发现犁鼻器在整个长度上存在显著的结构和神经化学变化，这表明未来对犁鼻器的研究应采用类似方法。本研究有助于增进目前对鹿瞪羚犁鼻器的理解，为该物种未来半化学物质介导的通讯和生殖管理研究提供了基础。研究亮点：对鹿瞪羚犁鼻器进行的这项详尽的免疫组织学研究首次证明，沿犁鼻器的头尾轴神经元标记物表达存在显著差异。这为在圈养鹿瞪羚种群中应用信息素提供了形态学依据。
