Abstract:
The mammalian vomeronasal system enables the perception of chemical signals crucial for social communication via the receptor families V1R and V2R. These receptors are linked with the G-protein subunits, Gαi2 and Gαo, respectively. Exploring the evolutionary pathways of V1Rs and V2Rs across mammalian species remains a significant challenge, particularly when comparing genomic data with emerging immunohistochemical evidence. Recent studies have revealed the expression of Gαo in the vomeronasal neuroepithelium of wild canids, including wolves and foxes, contradicting predictions based on current genomic annotations. Our study provides detailed immunohistochemical evidence, mapping the expression of V2R receptors in the vomeronasal sensory epithelium, focusing particularly on wild canids, specifically wolves and foxes. An additional objective involves contrasting these findings with those from domestic species like dogs to highlight the evolutionary impacts of domestication on sensory systems. The employment of a specific antibody raised against the mouse V2R2, a member of the C-family of vomeronasal receptors, V2Rs, has confirmed the presence of V2R2-immunoreactivity (V2R2-ir) in the fox and wolf, but it has revealed the lack of expression in the dog. This may reflect the impact of domestication on the regression of the VNS in this species, in contrast to their wild counterparts, and it underscores the effects of artificial selection on sensory functions. Thus, these findings suggest a more refined chemical detection capability in wild species.
摘要:
哺乳动物的伏马鼻系统能够通过受体家族V1R和V2R感知对社交交流至关重要的化学信号。这些受体与G蛋白亚基相连,Gαi2和Gαo,分别。探索跨哺乳动物物种的V1R和V2R的进化途径仍然是一个重大挑战,特别是在将基因组数据与新兴的免疫组织化学证据进行比较时。最近的研究表明Gαo在野犬的犁鼻神经上皮中的表达,包括狼和狐狸,与基于当前基因组注释的预测相矛盾。我们的研究提供了详细的免疫组织化学证据,绘制V2R受体在犁鼻感觉上皮中的表达图,特别关注野生犬科动物,特别是狼和狐狸。另一个目标是将这些发现与狗等家养物种的发现进行对比,以强调驯化对感觉系统的进化影响。使用针对小鼠V2R2的特异性抗体,V2R2是卵巢鼻受体C家族的成员,V2R,已经证实狐狸和狼中存在V2R2免疫反应性(V2R2-ir),但它揭示了狗缺乏表达。这可能反映了驯化对该物种VNS回归的影响,与他们的野生同行相比,它强调了人工选择对感觉功能的影响。因此,这些发现表明在野生物种中具有更精细的化学检测能力。