RT Journal Article
T1 Does a third intermediate model for the vomeronasal processing of information exist? Insights from the macropodid neuroanatomy
A1 Vázquez Torres, Mateo
A1 Ortiz Leal, Irene
A1 Rodríguez Villamayor, Paula
A1 Ferreiro, Andrea
A1 Rois, José Luis
A1 Sánchez Quinteiro, Pablo
K1 Wallaby
K1 Marsupials
K1 Vomeronasal
K1 Accessory olfactory bulb
K1 G proteins
K1 Immunohistochemistry
AB The study of the α-subunit of Gi2 and Go proteins in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) was crucial for the identification of the two main families of vomeronasal receptors, V1R and V2R. Both families are expressed in the rodent and lagomorph AOBs, according to a segregated model characterized by topographical anteroposterior zonation. Many mammal species have suffered from the deterioration of the Gαo pathway and are categorized as belonging to the uniform model. This scenario has been complicated by characterization of the AOB in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii, which appears to follow a third model of vomeronasal organization featuring exclusive Gαo protein expression, referred to as the intermediate model, which has not yet been replicated in any other species. Our morphofunctional study of the vomeronasal system (VNS) in Bennett’s wallaby, Notamacropus rufogriseus, provides further information regarding this third model of vomeronasal transduction. A comprehensive histological, lectin, and immunohistochemical study of the Bennett’s wallaby VNS was performed. Anti-Gαo and anti-Gαi2 antibodies were particularly useful because they labeled the transduction cascade of V2R and V1R receptors, respectively. Both G proteins showed canonical immunohistochemical labeling in the vomeronasal organ and the AOB, consistent with the anterior–posterior zonation of the segregated model. The lectin Ulex europaeus agglutinin selectively labeled the anterior AOB, providing additional evidence for the segregation of vomeronasal information in the wallaby. Overall, the VNS of the Bennett’s wallaby shows a degree of differentiation and histochemical and neurochemical diversity comparable to species with greater VNS development. The existence of the third intermediate type in vomeronasal information processing reported in Notamacropus eugenii is not supported by our lectin-histochemical and immunohistochemical findings in Notamacropus rufogriseus
PB Springer
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/28887
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/28887
LA eng
NO Brain Structure and Function 227, 881–899 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02425-2
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was partially supported by a University of Santiago de Compostela Grant [1551-8179] to P.S.Q.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026