The pheromone darcin drives a circuit for innate and reinforced behaviours

Demir, E., Li, K., Bobrowski-Khoury, N., Sanders, J. I., Beynon, R. J., Hurst, J. L., Kepecs, A., Axel, R. (January 2020) The pheromone darcin drives a circuit for innate and reinforced behaviours. Nature, 578 (7793). pp. 137-141. ISSN 0028-0836

Abstract

Organisms have evolved diverse behavioural strategies that enhance the likelihood of encountering and assessing mates(1). Many species use pheromones to communicate information about the location, sexual and social status of potential partners(2). In mice, the major urinary protein darcin-which is present in the urine of males-provides a component of a scent mark that elicits approach by females and drives learning(3,4). Here we show that darcin elicits a complex and variable behavioural repertoire that consists of attraction, ultrasonic vocalization and urinary scent marking, and also serves as a reinforcer in learning paradigms. We identify a genetically determined circuit-extending from the accessory olfactory bulb to the posterior medial amygdala-that is necessary for all behavioural responses to darcin. Moreover, optical activation of darcin-responsive neurons in the medial amygdala induces both the innate and the conditioned behaviours elicited by the pheromone. These neurons define a topographically segregated population that expresses neuronal nitric oxide synthase. We suggest that this darcin-activated neural circuit integrates pheromonal information with internal state to elicit both variable innate behaviours and reinforced behaviours that may promote mate encounters and mate selection.

Item Type:	Paper
Subjects:	organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > enzymes > nitric oxide synthase bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > pheromones
CSHL Authors:	Kepecs, Adam Demir, Ebru Sanders, Joshua Bobrowski-Khoury, Natasha
Communities:	CSHL labs > Kepecs lab
Depositing User:	Adrian Gomez
Date:	29 January 2020
Date Deposited:	10 Feb 2020 14:42
Last Modified:	22 Apr 2020 18:24
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/38962

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