Urinary volatile profiles of pine vole,Microtus pinetorum, and their endocrine dependency

Abstract

The volatile compounds identified by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry inMicrotus pinetorum urine include alcohols, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, ketones, nitriles, and pyrazines. Several lactone derivatives were found to be characteristic urinary substances of this species. Ovariectomy depressed concentrations of only five out of a great number of profile constituents. Elevating estrogen levels (by exposing females to male-soiled bedding or treating them with estradiol) tends to depress the urinary concentration of a number of selected volatiles. Estrogen implantation provoked a periodic increase in the level of three compounds (nonanal, benzal-dehyde, and an unidentified substance). The volatile profile of castrate male urine was similar to that of intact male urine. Female urine contained γ-octanoic lactone and two pyrazine derivatives in higher concentrations andp-methyI-propenylbenzene in a lower concentration, when compared to male urine. No qualitative differences between the urinary profiles of males and females were observed.

Comparison of Urinary Scents of Two Related Mouse Species, Mus spicilegus and Mus domesticus

“…This may imply that the metabolism of fatty acids leading to urinary lactone end-products could play a prominent role in the M. spicilegus metabolism as opposed to M. domesticus which show very little presence of urinary lactones. The occurrence of urinary lactones has been previously reported in female and male pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) (Boyer et al, 1989). In female pine voles, -octalactone exhibited the greatest urinary level changes among the volatile compounds after estrogen implantation or ovariectomy.…”

Female Chemical Signalling Underlying Reproduction in Mammals

“…However, scent marking and glandular morphology can be restored through hormonal injections of estradiol (golden hamster: Albers and Rowland 1989 ; gray short-tailed opossum: Fadem 1990 ; mouse: Kimura and Hagiwara 1985 ) or estradiol and progesterone (rat: Birke 1984 ; Mongolian gerbil: Owen and Thiessen 1974 ). Hormone levels can also alter the chemical composition of female odours or the relative abundance of volatile chemicals in female scents (pine vole: Boyer et al 1989 ; ringtailed lemur: Crawford et al 2011 ; grey wolf: Raymer et al 1986 ).…”

Monitoring potential semiochemicals in individual mouse urine samples

“…The compounds constituting such signals include volatile molecules, the release of which from the urine mark is slowed down by proteins carriers (the major urinary proteins, MUPs; Beynon & Hurst 2003). The specificity of chemosignals for species, individual and physiological state seems likely to involve not only the emission of different combinations of volatiles (Boyer et al 1989;Jemiolo et al 1994;Ma et al 1999), but also the MUPs to which they are bound (Mucignat-Caretta & Caretta 1999;Humphries et al 1999;Marchlewska-Koj et al 2000). MUPs exhibit an extraordinary degree of polymorphism that might encode informations on individual identities or states either by heir own or by the modulation of volatile release (Kuhn et al 1984;Held et al 1987;Hurst et al 1998;Cavaggioni & Mucignat-Caretta 2000;Hurst et al 2001;Sharrow et al 2002;Beynon & Hurst 2003).…”