Johnson E W
Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello 83209, USA.
Microsc Res Tech. 1998 Jun 15;41(6):530-41. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0029(19980615)41:6<530::AID-JEMT8>3.0.CO;2-Q.
After more than two centuries of almost sporadic inquiry as to the existence and function of the human vomeronasal system (VNS), the last decade has seen a resurgent interest in it. The principal question vexing many laboratories is whether adult humans retain the VNS that clearly develops during fetal growth. Additional questions are whether the structurally defined fetal VNS has any function role, and if this structure and function extend into postnatal life. One research tool that has been successfully used to identify key components of the mammalian VNS has been immunohistochemistry (IHC). This technique has clearly defined the vomeronasal receptor neurons in the vomeronasal organ, the vomeronasal nerve that projects into the central nervous system, and the target of this nerve, the accessory olfactory bulb. This review will discuss immunohistochemical studies that have identified these features in the mammalian VNS, and relate them to structural and IHC studies of the fetal and adult human VNS. Suggestions as to future studies to clarify the status of the human VNO also are offered.
在对人类犁鼻器系统（VNS）的存在及功能进行了两个多世纪几乎是零星的探究之后，过去十年人们对其兴趣再度高涨。困扰众多实验室的主要问题是，成年人类是否保留了在胎儿发育期间明显发育的犁鼻器系统。其他问题包括，结构上确定的胎儿犁鼻器系统是否具有任何功能作用，以及这种结构和功能是否会延伸到出生后的生活中。免疫组织化学（IHC）是一种已成功用于识别哺乳动物犁鼻器系统关键组成部分的研究工具。该技术已明确界定了犁鼻器中的犁鼻器受体神经元、投射到中枢神经系统的犁鼻神经以及该神经的靶标——副嗅球。本综述将讨论在哺乳动物犁鼻器系统中识别出这些特征的免疫组织化学研究，并将它们与胎儿和成年人类犁鼻器系统的结构及免疫组织化学研究相关联。还提供了关于未来研究以阐明人类犁鼻器（VNO）状况的建议。
