Olfactory receptor for prostaglandin F2α mediates male fish courtship behavior

Pheromones play vital role's for survival and reproduction in various organisms. In many fishes, prostaglandin F-2 alpha acts not only as a female reproductive hormone, facilitating ovulation and spawning, but also as a sex pheromone inducing male reproductive behaviors. Here, we unravel the molecular and neural circuit mechanisms underlying the pheromonal action of prostaglandin F-2 alpha in zebrafish. Prostaglandin F-2 alpha specifically activates two olfactory receptors with different sensitivities and expression in distinct populations of ciliated olfactory sensory neurons. Pheromone information is then transmitted to two ventromedial glomeruli in the olfactory bulb and further to four regions in higher olfactory centers. Mutant male zebrafish deficient in the high-affinity receptor exhibit loss of attractive response to prostaglandin F-2 alpha and impairment of courtship behaviors toward female fish. These findings demonstrate the functional significance and activation of selective neural circuitry for the sex pheromone prostaglandin F-2 alpha and its cognate olfactory receptor in fish reproductive behavior.