Histomorphology of Vomeronasal Organ in Scincella tsinlingensis

The vomeronasal organ.

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemoreceptor organ enclosed in a cartilaginous capsule and separated from the main olfactory epithelium. The vomeronasal neurons have two distinct types of receptor that differ from each other and from the large family of odorant receptors. The VNO receptors are seven-transmembrane receptors coupled to GTP-binding protein, but appear to activate inositol 1,4,5-...

The Vomeronasal Organ: A Neglected Organ

Signaling in the Mammalian Vomeronasal Organ

Pheromones are chemical signals which provide conspecifics information about gender, dominance and reproductive status [1]. They elicit innate and stereotypical reproductive and social behaviors, along with neuroendocrine and physiological changes. The vomeronasal organ, as part of the accessory olfactory system, is the site for pheromone binding to specific receptors, thus initiating a signal ...

Pheromone transduction in the vomeronasal organ.

Single-cell physiology and cloning efforts have extended studies of the vomeronasal organ to cellular and molecular levels. Recent work has shown that transduction in the vomeronasal organ is probably mediated by signalling pathways distinct from those that mediate transduction in the main olfactory system. An advance in understanding transduction has come with the cloning from rat vomeronasal ...

Structure and function of the vomeronasal organ.

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 piv...