Pregnancy block by MHC class I peptides is mediated<i>via</i>the production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in the mouse vomeronasal organ

Thompson, Roger N.; McMillon, Ronald; Napier, Audrey; Wekesa, Kennedy S.

doi:10.1242/jeb.02753

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(58 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, a recent study called these findings into doubt by showing that, contrary to Hilda Bruce’s original finding, urine from castrated or juvenile males was sufficient to induce pregnancy block. These results suggest that, although volatiles can contribute to the occurrence of pregnancy block, they are not necessary to induce it 63 .…”

Section: Mhc As a Signal In Individual Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 80%

See 1 more Smart Citation

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

Ruff

Nelson

Kubinak

et al. 2012

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been known to play a critical role in immune recognition since the 1950s. It was a surprise, then, in the 1970s when the first report appeared indicating MHC might also function in social signaling and in mate choice. Since this seminal discovery, MHC signaling has been found throughout vertebrates and its known functions have expanded beyond mate choice to include a suite of behaviors from kin-biased cooperation, parent-progeny recognition to pregnancy block. The widespread occurrence of MHC in social signaling has revealed conserved behavioral-genetic mechanisms that span vertebrates and includes humans. The identity of the signal’s chemical constituents and the receptors responsible for the perception of the signal have remained elusive, but recent advances have enabled the identification of the key components of the behavioral circuit. In this chapter we organize recent findings from the literature and discuss them in relation to four non-mutually exclusive models wherein MHC functions as a signal of (i) individuality, (ii) relatedness, (iii) genetic compatibility and (iv) quality. We also synthesize current mechanistic studies, showing how knowledge about the molecular basis of MHC signaling can lead to elegant and informative experimental manipulations. Finally, we discuss current evidence relating to the primordial functions of the MHC, including the possibility that its role in social signaling may be ancestral to its central role in adaptive immunity.

show abstract

Section: Mhc As a Signal In Individual Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…A more recent study, however, found that peptides alone (administered more frequently than in Ref. 7 ) were sufficient to induce pregnancy block 63 . These studies show that the suite of peptides presented by an individual’s MHC molecules can, when excreted in urine, be used as odorants in chemical signaling.…”

Section: Mhc As a Signal In Individual Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 93%

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

Ruff

Nelson

Kubinak

et al. 2012

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Leinders-Zufall et al 23 ), that is, some VSNs do not seem to recognize all peptides bearing the same MHC anchor residues as a single entity. So far, evidence that MHC ligands serve as signals in the sensory evaluation of genotype rests on studies of the pregnancy block, which have shown that three synthetic peptides (each at 10 À 4 M) of foreign but not self MHC type in the presence 21,53 or absence of urine 53 result in pregnancy failure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mouse urinary peptides provide a molecular basis for genotype discrimination by nasal sensory neurons

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Selected groups of peptides, including those that are presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, have been proposed to transmit information to the olfactory system of vertebrates via their ability to stimulate chemosensory neurons. However, the lack of knowledge about such peptides in natural sources accessible for nasal recognition has been a major barrier for this hypothesis. Here we analyse urinary peptides from selected mouse strains with respect to genotype-related individual differences. We discover many abundant peptides with single amino-acid variations corresponding to genomic differences. The polymorphism of major urinary proteins is reflected by variations in prominent urinary peptides. We also demonstrate an MHC-dependent peptide (SIINFEKL) occurring at very low concentrations in mouse urine. Chemoreceptive neurons in the vomeronasal organ detect and discriminate single amino-acid variation peptides as well as SIINFEKL. Hence, urinary peptides represent a real-time sampling of the expressed genome available for chemosensory assessment by other individuals.

show abstract

“…However, the relevance of these experiments for individual recognition under natural conditions is problematic considering the non-physiologically high concentration of 10 −4 M for each peptide used in these studies. Finally, the requirement of urine as an additional stimulus in these experiments requires clarification, because in the first study [25], three peptides were applied within urine while a more recent paper described an effective pregnancy failure using only one of these peptides in the absence of urine [38]. From a theoretical point of view, it appears very puzzling that an MHC peptide ligand should exert a biological effect independent of its biochemical context.…”

Section: The Search For Mhc-dependent Peptidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of volatiles and peptides: in search for MHC-dependent olfactory signals in social communication

Overath

Sturm

Rammensee

2014

Cell. Mol. Life Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which play a critical role in immune recognition, are considered to influence social behaviors in mice, fish, humans, and other vertebrates via olfactory cues. As studied most extensively in mice, the polymorphism of MHC class I genes is considered to bring about a specific scent signature, which is decoded by the olfactory system resulting in an individual-specific reaction such as mating. On the assumption that this signature resides in volatiles, extensive attempts to identify these MHC-specific components in urine failed. Alternatively, it has been suggested that peptide ligands of MHC class I molecules are released into urine and can elicit an MHC-haplotype-specific behavioral response after uptake into the nose by sniffing. Analysis of the urinary peptide composition of mice shows that MHC-derived peptides are present, albeit in extremely low concentrations. In contrast, urine contains abundant peptides which differ between mouse strains due to genomic variations such as single-nucleotide variations or complex polymorphisms in multigene families as well as in their concentration. Thus, urinary peptides represent a real-time sampling of the expressed genome available for sensory evaluation. It is suggested that peptide variation caused by genomic differences contains sufficient information for individual recognition beyond or instead of an influence of the MHC in mice and other vertebrates.

show abstract

Pregnancy block by MHC class I peptides is mediatedviathe production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in the mouse vomeronasal organ

Cited by 26 publications

References 44 publications

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

MHC Signaling during Social Communication

Mouse urinary peptides provide a molecular basis for genotype discrimination by nasal sensory neurons

Of volatiles and peptides: in search for MHC-dependent olfactory signals in social communication

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About