Chemical signals are prevalent in sexual communication systems. Mate recognition has been extensively studied within the Lepidoptera, where the production and recognition of species-specific sex pheromone signals are typically the defining character. While the specific blend of compounds that makes up the sex pheromones of many species has been characterized, the molecular mechanisms underpinni...

Previously we showed that the primer pheromone responsible for the "male effect" was produced in specific skin regions of castrated male goats by androgen treatments. In the present study, we examined whether androgen can also induce production of the male effect pheromone in female goats. Capsules containing dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or testosterone (T) were subcutaneously implanted into six o...

In the majority of sexual organisms, reproduction occurs almost exclusively through the combination of distinct and alternate forms, called sexes or mating types. In some fungi, there can be dozens to hundreds of alternate alleles that determine compatible mating types. Such extensive polymorphism is expected to be maintained by balancing selection, and in extreme cases may give rise to trans-s...

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is important for activating accessory olfactory pathways that are involved in sexually dimorphic mating behavior. The VNO of male garter snakes is critically important for detection of, and response to, female sex pheromones. In the present study, under voltage-clamp conditions, male snake VNO neurons were stimulated with female sexual attractiveness pheromone. Thirt...

The male red-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster) approaches the female's cloaca prior to performing any courtship behaviour, as if he is using some released substance to gauge whether she is sexually receptive. Therefore, we investigated whether such a female sexual attractiveness pheromone exists. We found that a tripeptide with amino acid sequence Ala-Glu-Phe is secreted by the ciliary cells i...

Epicuticular lipids serve two major roles in insects. Their waterproofing properties are crucial to survival in terrestrial environments, and they serve as contact pheromones in a wide array of taxa. Both functions may be affected by the physical properties of the surface lipids. This provides the opportunity for natural selection on water conservation, mediated by lipid phase behavior, to inte...

Mating type genes regulate sexual compatibility and sexual reproduction in fungi. This review focuses on recent molecular analyses of well-characterized mating systems from representative ascomycete (Neurospora crassa, Podospora anserina) and basidiomycete (Ustilago maydis, Coprinus cinereus, Schizophyllum commune) fungi. These mating systems include many conserved components, such as gene regu...

ABSTRACT: Sexual dimorphisms in four related species of tephritid flies were shown to be associated with differences in sexual behavior. In two species, Ceratitis capitata and C. catoirii, males and females approach closely head to head and apparently touch aristae, and the male buzzes his wings, probably fanning pheromone toward the female; the males were found to have longer aristae with fewe...

In mice, various instinctive behaviors can be triggered by olfactory input. Despite growing knowledge of the brain regions involved in such behaviors, the organization of the neural circuits that convert olfactory input into stereotyped behavioral output remains poorly understood. Here, we mapped the neural circuit responsible for enhancing sexual receptivity of female mice by a male pheromone,...

Sexual development is regulated by a complex regulatory mechanism in fungi. For Trichoderma reesei, the light response pathway was shown to impact sexual development, particularly through the photoreceptor ENVOY. Moreover, T. reesei communicates chemically with a potential mating partner in its vicinity, a response which is mediated by the velvet family protein VEL1 and its impact on secondary ...