Biol Reprod Lalor Postdoctoral Fellowships -- Application Deadline January 15, 2009
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

BOR - Papers in Press, published online ahead of print February 19, 2003.
Biol Reprod 2003, 10.1095/biolreprod.102.014472
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
69/1/125    most recent
biolreprod.102.014472v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Siefkes, M. J.
Right arrow Articles by Li, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Siefkes, M. J.
Right arrow Articles by Li, W.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Siefkes, M. J.
Right arrow Articles by Li, W.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 69, 125–132 (2003)
DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.102.014472
© 2003 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

Behavior

Male Sea Lampreys, Petromyzon marinus L., Excrete a Sex Pheromone from Gill Epithelia1

Michael J. Siefkes3, Alexander P. Scott4, Barbara Zielinski5, Sang-Seon Yun3, and Weiming Li2,3

Department of Fisheries and Wildlife,3 Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824 The Center for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science,4 The Nothe, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8UB, United Kingdom Department of Biological Sciences,5 University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada

During the period when they are producing sperm, male sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus L.) release a sex pheromone 7{alpha}, 12{alpha}, 24-trihydroxy-5{alpha}-cholan-3-one-24-sulfate (3 keto-petromyzonol sulfate, 3ketoPZS) that induces search and preference behaviors in ovulating females. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments to demonstrate that release of this pheromone into water takes place exclusively through the gills. In a behavioral maze, water conditioned with the anterior region of spermiating males induced an increase of search and preference behaviors in ovulating females. Similar behavior was not elicited by water conditioned by the posterior region. The anterior region washings and whole-body washings from spermiating males also elicited large and virtually identical electro-olfactogram responses from female sea lampreys, while the posterior washings produced negligible responses. Further, mass spectrometry and immunoassay confirmed that virtually all the 3ketoPZS released into water was through the gills. Immunocytochemistry revealed some gill epithelial cells and hepatocytes from spermiating males contained dense immunoreactive 3ketoPZS, but not those from prespermiating males. These results demonstrate that 3ketoPZS is released through the gill epithelia and suggest that this pheromone or its precursor may be produced in the liver.

1 This work was supported by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.

2 Correspondence: Weiming Li, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824. FAX: 517 432 1699; liweim{at}msu.edu






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.