Journal
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
Volume 190, Issue 3, Pages 193-199Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s00359-003-0484-1
Keywords
bile acid; electro-olfactogram; odor detection; pheromone; sea lamprey
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Electro-olfactograms were used to determine sensitivity and specificity of olfactory organs of female sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) to four bile acids: 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate and 3-keto allocholic acid from spermiating males and petromyzonol sulfate and allocholic acid from larvae. Spermiating male bile acids are thought to function as a mating pheromone and larval bile acids as a migratory pheromone. The response threshold was 10(-12) mol l(-1) for 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate and 10(-10) mol l(-1) for the other bile acids. At concentrations above 10(-9) mol l(-1), the sulfated bile acids showed almost identical potency, as did the non-sulfated bile acids. The two sulfated bile acids were more potent than the two non-sulfated ones. In addition, 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate and water conditioned with spermiating males induced similar concentration-response curves and response thresholds. Cross-adaptation experiments demonstrated that the sulfated and non-sulfated bile acids represent different odors to the olfactory epithelium of females. Further exploration revealed that 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate represents a different odor than petromyzonol sulfate, while 3-keto allocholic acid and allocholic acid represent the same odor. Results indicate that male-specific bile acids are potent and specific stimulants to the female olfactory organ, supporting the previous hypothesis that these bile acids function as a pheromone.
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