Female Sex Pheromone in the Skin and Circulation of a Garter Snake

Garstka, William R.; Crews, David

doi:10.1126/science.7292007

Cited by 89 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Previous work on red-sided garter snakes found that estrogen treatment (intraperitoneal injections) in males increased liver mass and blood viscosity (Garstka and Crews, 1981). As further validation for the estrogen implants, we measured the liver mass of E2 males and Shams in Experiment One.…”

Section: Chemical Analyses 17-estradiolmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to make a sexy snake: estrogen activation of female sex pheromone in male red-sided garter snakes

Parker

Mason

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYVertebrates indicate their genetic sex to conspecifics using secondary sexual signals, and signal expression is often activated by sex hormones. Among vertebrate signaling modalities, the least is known about how hormones influence chemical signaling. Our study species, the red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), is a model vertebrate for studying hormonal control of chemical signals because males completely rely on the female sex pheromone to identify potential mates among thousands of individuals. How sex hormones can influence the expression of this crucial sexual signal is largely unknown. We created two groups of experimental males for the first experiment: Sham (blank implants) and E2 (17-estradiol implants). E2 males were vigorously courted by wild males in outdoor bioassays, and in a Y-maze E2 pheromone trails were chosen by wild males over those of small females and were indistinguishable from large female trails. Biochemically, the E2 pheromone blend was similar to that of large females, and it differed significantly from Shams. For the second experiment, we implanted males with 17-estradiol in 2007 but removed the implants the following year (2008; Removal). That same year, we implanted a new group of males with estrogen implants (Implant). Removal males were courted by wild males in 2008 (implant intact) but not in 2009 (removed).Total pheromone quantity and quality increased following estrogen treatment, and estrogen removal re-established male-typical pheromone blends. Thus, we have shown that estrogen activates the production of female pheromone in adult red-sided garter snakes. This is the first known study to quantify both behavioral and biochemical responses in chemical signaling following sex steroid treatment of reptiles in the activation/organization context. We propose that the homogametic sex (ZZ, male) may possess the same targets for activation of sexual signal production, and the absence of the activator (17-estradiol in this case) underlies expression of the male phenotype.

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Section: Chemical Analyses 17-estradiolmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to make a sexy snake: estrogen activation of female sex pheromone in male red-sided garter snakes

Parker

Mason

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Steroid hormones seem to play an integral role in at least the production and perhaps the expression of the sex attractiveness pheromone in gar ter snakes. Estrogen treatment has been shown to induce pheromone production in female garter snakes [Crews, 1976;Kubic et al, 1978;Garstka and Crews, 1981;Crews, 1985]. However, the specific mechanisms involved and the biochemical processes by which estrogen stimulates phero mone production remain to be elucidated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the specific mechanisms involved and the biochemical processes by which estrogen stimulates phero mone production remain to be elucidated. Previous work by Garstka and Crews [1981] suggested that the yolking protein vitellogenin might be responsible for eliciting male courtship. However, more recent work involving the trans port.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Ecology of the Red-SidedGarter Snake, <i>Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis</i>

Mason

1993

Brain Behav Evol

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The red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis is an ideal model for the study of chemical or pheromonal communication in vertebrates. Results of long-term field and laboratory investigations of the chemical ecology of these unusual animals is summarized. These studies include a description of the characterization of the female attractiveness pheromone that serves to induce male courtship behavior. The male sex recognition pheromone system that identifies males as inappropriate individuals to court is also described. She-males, individual males that are courted as if they were females, seem to possess semiochemical components intermediate to both males and females. Finally, investigations of the species-specific nature of these pheromones indicate that chemical differences exist in the methyl ketones of all species examined to date.

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“…Vitellogenin is a lipoprotein yolk precursor produced in the liver in response to estrogen and present in the circulation of sexually active female redsided garter snakes (Crews, 1976;Garstka, 1982;Garstka and Crews, 1981;Kubie et al, 1978). Females and estrogentreated males have a lipid-rich skin layer; lipids become concentrated in hinge regions, the points of scale attachment, which contain very thin regions of epidermis (Mason, 1987).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Females and estrogentreated males have a lipid-rich skin layer; lipids become concentrated in hinge regions, the points of scale attachment, which contain very thin regions of epidermis (Mason, 1987). The pheromones may travel from dermal vascular areas to the skin and then be secreted through these thin epidermal areas during hyperventilation, a behavior which occurs in females during courtship (Garstka and Crews, 1981;Mason, 1987).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal trailing behavior and corticosterone levels in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis)

Thinesen¹

2000

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Mechanisms of how red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) travel up to 18 km from summer feeding sites to hibernation dens are not understood.In this study, monthly and seasonal trailing behavior were investigated to determine whether red-sided garter snakes prefer to follow trails of snakes from the same den (den-mates) versus trails made by other conspecifics (non-den-mates). Snakes from five different hibernacula in Manitoba, Canada, were involved in the study. Eighteen were adults and 15 were subadults. Subadult red-sided garter snakes do not return 2 to hibernacula until their second year of life, so their trailing behavior was of interest in learning how they might first find hibernation sites.Since hormonal factors may play a role in trailing behavior, and, since corticosterone (CS) has been associated with migration and homing in other vertebrates, plasma CS concentrations were also investigated monthly and seasonally.A wooden Y-maze with slots for blocking the two arms was used in the study. Overall, the snakes trailed conspecifics in the spring but showed no preferences for trails of den-mates or non-den-mates. When adults' and subadults' behaviors were studied separately, no significant trai.ling tendencies were observed in the adults. Subadults preferred to follow den-mates in the fall and five weeks' post-emergence, corresponding with the time of migration to hibernacula and migration to summer feeding sites, respectively. Two-way analysis including age as a factor showed no age by month interaction; that is, age appeared to have no effect on CS levels during any particular month.

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Female Sex Pheromone in the Skin and Circulation of a Garter Snake

Cited by 89 publications

References 15 publications

How to make a sexy snake: estrogen activation of female sex pheromone in male red-sided garter snakes

How to make a sexy snake: estrogen activation of female sex pheromone in male red-sided garter snakes

Chemical Ecology of the Red-SidedGarter Snake, <i>Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis</i>

Seasonal trailing behavior and corticosterone levels in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis)

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