Pheromones

Is life conceivable without chemotaxis ?

Dr. habil. Kőhidai László 2011.

Trichinella spiralis (1) 200 - 400

+

+ 20 - 80

Trichinella (2)

< +

+

Trichinella (3)

+

+

+

Insects (1) 

Responses to pheromones: in sec.-s - direction of flying - speed - pattern (zick-zack)



Modulation of odorant receptors is durable 1-2 min. - 20-95 min.

ipsenol, ipsdienol, cis-verbenol 

Dose ranges of responses are wide

Insects (2) 

Heat-dependent responses

20 oC

+

steepness of flying

26 oC



Different types of migrations/flying: schemakinezis tropotaxis klinotaxis

zikk-zakk look-leap

Insects (3) 

Cockroach pheromones inducing aggregation

ammónia, methylamine, di-, trimethylamine 1-dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-propanol effective in 10 pM (50-1000x more active then other substances)



Differences in responses to diffuse and surface associated pheromones

Effect of gamones

Coagulation

Gynogamone II.

Hyaluronidase

Androgamone II. Gynogamone I.

Androgamone I.

Parts of female sexual organs releasing chemoattractants



Cervical mucus



Cavity of uterus



Follicular fluide



Cumulus cells



Intact, still not fertilized oocyte

Components of follicular fluide Composition is sexual cycle dependant  LH  Progesterone (1-100 mg/ml)  Adrenalin (0.001 mg/mll  Oxytocin (0.01 U/ml)  Insulin (repellens)  Kallikrein  Anti-thrombin III. = spermium receptor  Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP=ANF)  1000 Da, heat-stable protein 

Other factors synthesized by the female organs and influencing the chemotaxis 

pH



some proteases



resact – Ca2+ [mM]



speract – guanylate cyclase



chemoattractant substance perelased from

the vegetative pole of oocyte Brown algae

Ectocarpene 0.89 – 8.9 nmol/l

the p-electone-distribution is essential

Spermiums and chemotaxis (1) 

Population of spermiums is rather heterogeneous The respiratory response induced by follicular fluide: 70 % positive !!! 20 % negative



Responsiveness is changing by the age of cells: early

matured

aged

only these cells express normal responsiveness

Spermiums and chemotaxis (2) Ca2+ has a role in:

chemotaxis cell respiratory proc. acrosome reaction cortocal reaction fertiléization cell adhesion

Calmodulin – NAD-kinase – exocytosis phosphatases, phosphorylation guanylate cyclase

cGMP

cGMP-depend. Ca2+ channel Ca2+ influx when spermium reaches the oocyte

Spermiums and chemotaxis (3) 

Methylation system tail – protein carboxyl-methylase head – tail – MAP

decreased phospholipid methylation (min. 40%) 

cAMP-dependent phosphorylation



Protein kinase inhibitors are blockers of the system (42 kD kináz)

Spermiums and chemotaxis (4) 

Common receptor-gene family in odorant receptors and in spermium



fMLF and BOC-fMLP (10-9 – 10-8 M) works as chemoattractant not only in leukocytes BUT in spermiums, too. (leukocyte accumulation is induced in the female genital tract)



p-nitrophenyl-glycerol (PNPG) 10-5 M is repellent in spermiums – contraceptive applications

Characterization of pheromones Work on the individuals of the same species  Influence the sexual behaviour  Effects are expressed via pheromone-receptors  signaling is G-protein-linked  Influence development of hierarchy in the population qualitative differences quantitative 

Excreted in: feaces, urine, sweet and other body-fluids  Determined by MHC-genes the same H2 (male-female) prefer each other 

Pheromones (2) Mice

Estrus-inhibition

Anestrus

Estrus (sensible period lasts 5 days, but mating desensibilizes it)

Pheromones (3) Non-self male excretes pheromones in the urine

Level of heterozygocy is increased

Pheromones in lower levels of phylogeny (1) Saccharomyces cerevisiae 7 transmembrane receptor  G-protein-linked  Clathrin haevy-chain dependent internalization 

Tetrahymena pyriformis 

Attractant: tricosene ; imprinting +



Repellent: bornyl acetate ; imprinting 0

Pheromones in lower levels of phylogeny (2) 

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae pheromones guide: - development of mating projections - intracellular migration of nucleus 

Presence of N- and O-oligosaccharides a-agglutinin (cell adhesion) – in the core region 80-95% O-oligosach. pheromones

a-agglutinin-gene

cell-cell contacts

Pheromones in lower levels of phylogeny (3) 

Fungi – Allomyces macrogynus

Sirenin (1 pM – 1 mM)



acts on gamets

H+, K+, NH4+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, La3+

- ions are repellent itself - they can neutralize effects of each-other in competition

Practical applications of pheromones



Artificial feritlization /insemination



Anti-helmintic



Insect repellent

„T-shirt” test

Self – Non-self ? Male – Female ?

Pheromones in human (1) 

Determination capacity of own-odor 75%



Distinguish male/female (female scores are better)



Newborns – recognition of lactating breast

2 days 2 weeks 6 weeks 

Mating

0 + but no differentiation + mother preference

Pheromones Dog

age (days)

self

non-self

20-24

>

31-36, 66-72

~

52-56

male

Pheromone in hide

The chair labelled with male pheromone was preferred by female induviduals