Identification and analysis of central action of the pheromone that modulates reproductive physiology in mice

Research Project

Project/Area Number	16K18811
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Integrative animal science
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	Murata Ken 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 特任研究員 (30749643)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Keywords	フェロモン / 生殖 / キスペプチン / GnRH / 神経科学
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The aim of this research is to record the neural activity of central regulator of reproduction to reveal the central response to male pheromone exposure and identify the pheromone molecule based on the response in mice. By using optogenetic technology, we established a system to record neural activity of neurons expressing specific genes in specific brain area. It was shown that exposure to male mouse urine containing pheromone activated the central regulator of reproduction. Furthermore, relatively low molecular weight hydrophilic compounds in male mouse urine were suggested to have pheromone activity.

Report

(3 results)