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Chemical Senses Advance Access originally published online on June 6, 2006
Chemical Senses 2006 31(7):613-619; doi:10.1093/chemse/bjj066
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Attenuation of the Production of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate in the Mouse Vomeronasal Organ by Antibodies Against the {alpha}q/11 Subfamily of G-Proteins

Roger N. Thompson, Audrey Napier and Kennedy S. Wekesa

Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101-0271, USA

Correspondence to be sent to: Kennedy S. Wekesa, Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL 36101-0271, USA. e-mail: kwekesa{at}alasu.edu

The social and reproductive behaviors of most mammals are modulated by pheromones, which are perceived by the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Vomeronasal transduction in vertebrates is activated through G-protein–coupled receptors, which in turn leads to the generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) by the activity of phospholipase C. DAG has been shown to gate the transient receptor potential channel 2, whereas IP3 may play a role in stimulating the release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum store. To investigate the role of the alpha subunits of Gq/11 in the transduction process, microvillar membranes from female mice VNO were preincubated with a selective C-terminal peptide antibody against G{alpha}q/11 and then stimulated with adult male urine. Incubation of VNO membranes with antibodies against G{alpha}q/11 blocked the production of IP3 in a dose-dependent manner. We were also able to impair the production of IP3 when we stimulated with 2-heptanone or 2,5-dimethylpyrazine in the presence of antibodies against the alpha subunit of Gq/11. 2-Heptanone is a known pheromone that has been linked to VIR receptors. Thus, our observations indicate that the alpha subunits of Gq/11 play a role in pheromonal signaling in the VNO.

Key words: 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, G-proteins, 2-heptanone, IP3, pheromones, vomeronasal


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