Døving K B, Trotier D
Department Biology, University of Oslo, Norway.
J Exp Biol. 1998 Nov;201(Pt 21):2913-25. doi: 10.1242/jeb.201.21.2913.
Many animals use their vomeronasal organs to gain direct and specific contact with chemical cues released by congeners and in biological fluids. These cues provide information about the physiological status of the emitter and facilitate or regulate social interactions such as sexual relationships. The present review gives a short description of the discovery of the vomeronasal organ and the pivotal findings of Jacobson. The distribution of the organ and its anatomy in some vertebrates are described. The mechanisms for stimulus entry and egress are discussed, and the findings that led to the appreciation of the vomeronasal organ in mammals as a main chemosensory organ for pheromones mediating reproductive status and inducing sexual behaviour are reported. The anatomical, biochemical and functional properties of the receptor neurones are described.
许多动物利用它们的犁鼻器与同类释放的化学信号以及生物体液中的化学信号进行直接且特定的接触。这些信号提供了关于信号发出者生理状态的信息，并促进或调节诸如性关系等社会互动。本综述简要介绍了犁鼻器的发现以及雅各布森的关键研究结果。描述了该器官在一些脊椎动物中的分布及其解剖结构。讨论了刺激物进入和离开的机制，并报告了使哺乳动物中的犁鼻器被视为介导生殖状态和诱导性行为的主要信息素化学感应器官的研究结果。描述了受体神经元的解剖学、生物化学和功能特性。
