Scent wars: the chemobiology of competitive signalling in mice.

摘要: Many mammals use scent marks to advertise territory ownership, but only recently have we started understand the complexity of these signals and types information that they convey. Whilst attention has generally focused on volatile odorants as main molecules in scents, studies house mouse now defined a role for family proteins termed major urinary (MUPs) which are, course, involatile. MUPs bind male signalling volatiles control their release from marks. These are also highly polymorphic pattern variants provides stable ownership signal communicates genome-derived individual identity owner. Here review interaction between chemical basis scents dynamics competitive marking behaviour, demonstrating how it is possible provide reliable ability males.