Scent marking behavior as an odorant communication in mice

Abstract

In rodents, where chemical signals play a particularly important role in determining intraspecies interactions including social dominance and intersexual relationships, various studies have shown that behavior is sensitive to conspecific odor cues. Mice use urinary scent marks for communication with individual conspecifics in many social contexts. Urinary scent involves genetic information about individuals such as species, sex, and individual identity as well as metabolic information such as social dominance, and reproductive and health status, which are mediated by chemical proteins in scent marks including the major histocompatibility complex and the major urinary proteins. The odor of the predator which can be considered to be a threatening signal for the prey also modulate mouse behavior in which scent marking is suppressed in response to the cat odor exposure in mice. These odorant chemicals are detected and recognized through two olfactory bulbs, the role of which in detection of chemosignals with biological relevant appears to be differential, but partly overlapped. Mice deposit scent marks toward conspecifics to maintain their social relationships, and inhibit scent marking in a context where natural predator, cat odor is contained. This suppression of scent marking is long-lasting (for at least 7 days) and context-dependent, while the odorant signaling to conspecifics tends to appear frequently (over 24h but less than 7 days intervals) depending on the familiarity of each signal-recipient. It has been discussed that scent marking is a communicative behavior associated with territoriality toward conspecifics, indicating that the social signaling within species are sensitive to predator odor cues in terms of vulnerability to predation risk.

Odor Cues Released by Ehrlich Tumor-Bearing Mice Are Aversive and Induce Psychological Stress

“…Alarm chemicals are produced in response to acute and chronic stressors in a wide variety of species [30,31]. Olfactory stimuli play a predominant role in determining intraspecific social behaviors [30,32] and provide information for subsequent strategies such as approach towards or avoidance of encounters [5,33].…”

“…Olfactory stimuli play a predominant role in determining intraspecific social behaviors [30,32] and provide information for subsequent strategies such as approach towards or avoidance of encounters [5,33]. Odor cues from animals that have long-term infection and are immunologically challenged induces avoidance responses in healthy conspecifics [34].…”

Central oxytocin regulates social familiarity and scent marking behavior that involves amicable odor signals between male mice

“…The neural mechanism(s) for this process needs to be evaluated to understand regulatory processes of natural aggressive/defensive behaviors. Scent marking is a prominent mode of olfactory communication in rodents [11][12][13]: Hairs on the end of the prepuce aid the deliberate painting of tiny quantities of urine in thin streaks and small spots on the substrate [14]. Urinary scent marking is an androgen-dependent process and commonly relays territorial information, such as advertising a male's competitive ability [15] or territorial boundaries [16,17].…”

DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS OF SNIFFING BEHAVIOR IN male laboratory MICE in conditions of SOCIAL COMPETITION

“…Запаховые сигналы играют ведущую роль в индивидуальном распознава-нии особей, несут информацию о половой принадлежности животного, его социальном статусе, физиологическом состоянии и конкурентоспособности (Arakawa et al, 2011; Drickamer, 2001;Keverne, 2002). Химические сигна-лы могут передаваться с помощью мочевых меток, которые животные ос-тавляют в окружающей среде (Arakava et al, 2008; Drickamer, 2001;Hurst, Beynon, 2004). Уже достаточно давно было установлено, что доминирующие самцы более интенсивно маркируют территорию мочевыми метками, чем подчиненные (Desjardins et al, 1973).…”