Olfactory guidance of nipple attachment and suckling in kittens of the domestic cat: Inborn and learned responses

Raihani, Gina; González, Diego López; Arteaga, Lourdes; Hudson, Robyn

doi:10.1002/dev.20401

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…; Raihani et al. ; also Ewer ). Speculatively, the lack of a clear pattern in individual nipple use by puppies (and confirmed by discussion with professional breeders) may explain the surprising lack of information on this in the literature; conspicuous patterns inviting investigation are simply not seen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The Pattern of Nipple Use Before Weaning Among Littermates of the Domestic Dog

et al. 2012

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Suckling provides a well‐defined and functionally significant context in which to study mammalian sibling competition and the possible consequences of this for long‐term differences in individual behavior, physiology, and life histories. There have, however, been surprisingly few studies of suckling behavior, even in species as accessible as the domestic dog. In a first approach, we filmed the suckling behavior of 10 litters (47 puppies) of various dog breeds in their owners' homes during the first postnatal month before the start of weaning. The pattern of nipple use was very similar across litters but very different to that of the better‐studied pig or cat. Puppies showed only weak preference for particular (central) nipple rows, they often switched nipples during nursing sessions and showed no evidence of teat consistency in which each littermate uses primarily one or two particular nipples. They also showed very little agonistic behavior that could be interpreted as contesting access to nipples. The present findings provide a reminder of the diversity of suckling patterns among altricial mammals and of the need for more comparative information to better understand the reasons for and functional significance of such differences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…; Raihani et al. ). Such patterning in nipple or teat use has led to the suggestion that milk outlets differ in quality, that littermates compete for access to the best, and with the advantage typically going to the heavier young (e.g.…”

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confidence: 98%

The Pattern of Nipple Use Before Weaning Among Littermates of the Domestic Dog

et al. 2012

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“…The main olfactory system is known to be critical in the survival of newborns in several species. For example, olfactory cues have been implicated in species such as the wallaby to direct the neonate to its mother’s pouch (Schneider et al, 2008; Schneider et al, 2009), in kittens in the guidance of nipple attachment and suckling (Raihani et al, 2009), and in rabbits the role of the “nipple-search pheromone” in nipple attachment of pups (Hudson et al, 2002). Although it is clear that pheromones are essential in triggering this behavior (Hudson and Distel, 1983), there is no direct evidence that the accessory olfactory system is essential in mediating it and in fact, the main olfactory system is clearly implicated by some of these findings such as nipple search.…”

Section: The Role Of the Young Vomeronasal Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity Regulates Functional Connectivity from the Vomeronasal Organ to the Accessory Olfactory Bulb

Hovis¹,

Ramnath²,

Dahlen³

et al. 2012

Journal of Neuroscience

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The mammalian accessory olfactory system is specialized for the detection of chemicals that identify kin and conspecifics. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs), residing in the vomeronasal organ, project axons to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) where they form synapses with principle neurons, known as mitral cells. The organization of this projection is quite precise and is believed to be essential for appropriate function of this system. However, how this precise connectivity is established is unknown. We show here that in mice the vomeronasal duct is open at birth, allowing external chemical stimuli access to sensory neurons, and that these sensory neurons are capable of releasing neurotransmitter to downstream neurons as early as the first post-natal day. Using major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-1) peptides to activate a selective subset of VSNs during the first few post-natal days of development, we show that increased activity results in exuberant VSN axonal projections and a delay in axonal coalescence into well-defined glomeruli in the AOB. Finally, we show that mitral cell dendritic refinement occurs just after the coalescence of pre-synaptic axons. Such a mechanism may allow the formation of precise connectivity with specific glomeruli that receive input from sensory neurons expressing the same receptor type.

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“…One of the first challenges facing any newborn mammal is finding a nipple, attaching to it, and suckling (Raihani et al, 2009). Later on depending on speciesspecific factors, the young reach autonomy from the mother in both social and alimentary terms (Hudson and Altb€ acker, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphofunctional Adaptations of the Olfactory Mucosa in Postnatally Developing Rabbits

Kavoi

Makanya

Plendl

et al. 2012

The Anatomical Record

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Rabbits are born blind and deaf and receive unusually limited maternal care. Consequently, their suckling young heavily rely on the olfactory cue for nipple attachment. However, the postnatal morphofunctional adaptations of olfactory mucosa (OM) are not fully elucidated. To clarify on the extent and the pattern of refinement of the OM following birth in the rabbit, morphologic and morphometric analysis of the mucosa were done at neonatal (0-1 days), suckling (2 weeks), weanling (4 weeks), and adult (6-8 months) stages of postnatal development. In all the age groups, the basic components of the OM were present. However, proliferative activity of cells of the mucosal epithelium decreased with increasing age as revealed by Ki-67 immunostaining. Diameters of axon bundles, packing densities of olfactory cells, and cilia numbers per olfactory cell knob increased progressively with age being 5.5, 2.1, and 2.6 times, respectively, in the adult as compared with the neonate. Volume fraction values for the bundles increased by 5.3% from birth to suckling age and by 7.4% from weaning to adulthood and the bundle cores were infiltrated with blood capillaries in all ages except in the adult where such vessels were lacking. The pattern of cilia projection from olfactory cell knobs also showed age-related variations, that is, arose as a tuft from the tips of the knobs in neonates and sucklings and in a radial pattern from the knob bases in weanlings and adults. These morphological changes may be attributed to the high olfactory functional demand associated with postnatal development in the rabbit.

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Olfactory guidance of nipple attachment and suckling in kittens of the domestic cat: Inborn and learned responses

Cited by 31 publications

References 37 publications

The Pattern of Nipple Use Before Weaning Among Littermates of the Domestic Dog

The Pattern of Nipple Use Before Weaning Among Littermates of the Domestic Dog

Activity Regulates Functional Connectivity from the Vomeronasal Organ to the Accessory Olfactory Bulb

Morphofunctional Adaptations of the Olfactory Mucosa in Postnatally Developing Rabbits

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