Decoding the neural representation of olfactory imprinting

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K07262
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 48020:Physiology-related
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: Kaba Hideto 高知大学, 医学部, 名誉教授 (50136371)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 環境生理学 / 神経科学 / 個体認識 / 匂い / 鋤鼻系

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study I demonstrate (1) the pregnancy-blocking chemosignals in NZB male urine are maternally inherited, based on the observations that sons of reciprocal crosses between BALB/c and NZB mice blocked pregnancy only when their mother, but not their father, is of the NZB strain, and in contrast, sons of reciprocal crosses between BALB/c and CBA mice did not block pregnancy even if their mother is of either the BALB/c or CBA strain, pointing to the involvement of factors other than the ND1 and ND2 peptides that are identical between the CBA and BALB/c strains and (2) vasopressin suppressed IPSC recorded in a mitral cell via V1a vasopressin receptors, thereby disinhibiting the mitral cell.

Free Research Field

環境生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、嗅覚を介した動物間コミュニケーションの実態解明に大きく寄与すると共に、ミトコンドリアゲノム由来ペプチドが“自己か非自己か”を認識する際の原因となり得ることから、嗅覚系と免疫系との新たなクロストークの場を提供し、MHCによる体臭の違いがヒトの配偶者選択に影響を及ぼすように、ヒトにおける嗅覚コミュニケーションの新たな発見にも繋がり得る。