Postradiation volatile secretion of mice attractive for intact individuals

In early period after exposure to a sub-lethal dose (4 Gy) the exposed mice secreted volatile components (in their urine), which were attractive for intact individuals independently of genotype. The postradiation components were more attractive for allogene individuals than for singene ones. This reaction was different in exposed intact mice, which showed singene attractiveness of volatile secretion. Attractiveness of postradiation volatile components differed from the attractiveness of ones secreted after stress.     

Postradiation volatile secretion and development of immunosupression effectes by laboratory mice with various genotype

The appearance of lines CBA and C57Bl/6 in the urine of mice irradiation volatile excretions with immunosupression property was associated with the violation at mice of ability to immunogenesis. It was established, that immunosupression activity of excretions irradiated mice CBA and C57Bl/6 did not depend on genotip of mice. However, by irradiated mice C57Bl/6 immunosupression components, depressing antibody formation at intact mice, appeared earlier, than at CBA. Immunosypression, limited postradiation volatile secretion in view of depression humoral immune response at intact mice kept for not a long time and mostly expressed on the course 2-3 days after exposition with postradiation secretion.     

Effect of natural and postradiation volatile secretions of mice on the immune reactivity and blood cellularity of irradiated animals

It has been shown that natural and postradiation volatile urinary secretions of mice can remotely restore the immune reactivity and blood indices reduced as a result of exposure of laboratory mice to ionizing radiation. Antibody formation in spleen of gamma-irradiated (1 Gy) CBA strain mice was increased after exposure of both syngeneic and allogeneic animals with urine volatile secretions. Volatile natural secretions of intact mice have a more pronounced antibody stimulating activity than volatile secretions from animals exposed to gamma-radiation. Immunoreactivity ofy-irradiated C57B16 strain mice with low olfactory reactivity increases only after their exposure with volatile secretions of intact syngeneic animals. The total number of leukocytes and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of gamma-irradiated (1 Gy) inbred mice increases after exposure with secretions obtained from them before irradiation. The role of hemo-signalling in the selective stimulation of immunity and blood content in conditions of radiation damage is discussed.     

Communicative multiplication of secondary disorders in blood formula and immunity in groups of intact mice caused by volatile compounds excreted by irradiated animals

It was shown that immunosupressive substances excreted by the irradiated mice are highly volatile. Even the excretion from one irradiated mouse could induce disorders in the immune system and blood formula of intact recipients exposed to the volatile substances. In turn, a dominate mouse from a group of the exposed recipients could cause the disorders in the next intact group. Samples of urine from irradiated or exposed to the volatile substances could cause the same effect. The experiments showed a mechanism of secondary post-radiation disorders in animal groups through volatile chemical signals.     

The alteration of attractiveness of intact males mice to females chemosignals, subjected of ionizing radiation in sublethal dose

After irradiation in a dose 4 Gy female mice of CBA and C57Bl/6 (female CBA during 18-23 days, female C57Bl/6 - 4-10 days) secretes with urine volatile components (chemosignals) which possess higher, than secretes intact females, attractiveness for intact males the same strains irrespective of a genotype. When estimation relative attractiveness postradiation secretes female mice CBA and C57Bl/6 intact males prefer chemosignals singenic (genetically identical) females during 1-23 day after irradiation. Observed olfactorial reaction male mice more differ from norm. In which males prefer chemosignals of allogenic (with a strange genotype) females. This disturbances identifed as postradiation reversion attractiving males of chemosignals, dependent on the genotype of females. Typical for norm chemosignalisation at females restored for 43 days after the irradiation. The mechanism and biological advisability of this phenomenon are discussed.     

Effect of volatile excretions induced with thymus-dependent antigen in female mice on the behavioural responses of males

It was found that thymus-dependent antigen sheep red blood cells in the optimal immunogenic dose (1 x 10(8) cells/mouse) induced in female mice of CBA and B6 strain secretion of attractive urinary volatile components (VCs), and in the supraoptimal dose (1 x 10(9) cells/mouse)--aversive VCs for intact males CBA strain. In a direct comparison of the properties ofVCs-immunized mice of CBA and B6, a modification of the effect of constitutive chemosignalling: disturbance of ability of females VCs to attract allogeneic males, was observed. The role of thymus-dependent antigen dose and sex of animals in the mechanism of generation of antigen-induced chemosignals is discussed.     

Synergistic interactions between volicitin,jasmonic acid and ethylene mediate insect-induced volatile emission in Zea mays

Plants display differential responses following mechanical damage and insect herbivory. Both caterpillar attack and the application of caterpillar oral secretions (OS) to wounded leaves stimulates volatile emission above mechanical damage alone. Volicitin ( N- 17-hydroxylinolenoyl- l -glutamine), present in beet armyworm (BAW, Spodoptera exigua ) OS, is a powerful elicitor of volatiles in excised maize seedlings ( Zea mays cv. Delprim). We consider some of the mechanistic differences between wounding and insect herbivory in maize by examining the activity of volicitin, changes in jasmonic acid (JA) levels, and volatile emission from both intact plant and excised leaf bioassays. Compared to mechanical damage alone, volicitin stimulated increases in both JA levels and sesquiterpene volatiles when applied to intact plants. In a bioassay comparison, excised leaves were more sensitive and produced far greater volatile responses than intact plants following applications of both volicitin and JA. In the excised leaf bioassay, volicitin applications (10–500 pmol) to wounded leaves resulted in dose dependent JA increases and a direct positive relationship between JA and sesquiterpene volatile emission. Interestingly, volicitin-induced JA levels did not differ between intact and excised bioassays, suggesting a possible interaction of JA with other regulatory signals in excised plants. In addition to JA, insect herbivory is known to stimulate the production of ethylene. Significant increases in ethylene were induced only by BAW herbivory and not by either wounding or volicitin treatments. Using intact plant bioassays, ethylene (at 1 µl l⁻¹ or less) greatly promoted volatile emission induced by volicitin and JA but not mechanical damage alone. For intact plants, wounding, elicitor-induced JA and insect-induced ethylene appear to be important interacting components in the stimulation of insect-induced volatile emission.     

Syngeneic and allogeneic immunosupression effects of post-irradiation volatile excretions of mice

It was shown that immune and olfactory highly reactive CBA mice have reduced the ability to immune response in more extent under influence of volatile excretions of irradiated (4 Gy) singene mice, than allogene (C57Bl/6) mice. In lowreactive C57BL/6 mice deterioration of immune response also took place after influence of excretions of singene irradiated mice. There were no difference between the effects caused by excretions of intact and irradiated allogene (CBA) mice.     

Influence of ionizing radiation on the attractiveness of male mice to chemosignals of intact individuals

Within short-terms after exposure to ionizing radiation, CBA and C57Bl/6 male mice were found not only to retain but also to enhance their attractiveness to chemosignals of intact males of the same genotype (syngenic). It was shown that the time period of higher attractiveness increased with the absorbed dose (from 1 to 6 Gy). Within several days after exposure to 6-Gy irradiation, male mice were temporarily unable to discriminate between chemosignals of syngenic and allogenic (alien genotype) individuals. Unlike male mice of the CBA strain, male mice of the C57Bl/6 strain displayed no changes after exposure to 1-Gy irradiation, but the effect of 2-6 Gy was more persistent. These phenomena can be explained by the lower olfactory reactivity combined with higher radiosensitivity of C57Bl/6 mice. Irradiated male mice temporarily lost their olfactory ability to discriminate the genotype of females' volatile secretions and to distinguish between females' and males' volatile secretions.     

Composition of essential oil in genetically transformed roots of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ruta graveolens</Emphasis>

The composition of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from genetically transformed roots of common rue (Ruta graveolens L.) was analyzed. Using gas chromatography and complex gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, it was established that the major component of rue essential oil was a root-specific sesquiterpene geijerene comprising 67% of total amount of volatile compounds. In essential oil of cultured rue roots, furocoumarins characteristic of intact plant roots were found, viz. osthole, halepensin, and rutacultin. The content of essential oil in genetically transformed rue roots was 0.23% of root dry weight, which is comparable with that in the roots of intact plants. The long-term maintenance in the in vitro cultured rue roots of a capability for the synthesis of essential oil major components characteristic of intact plants allows their usage for studying the physiological activity of these volatile compounds and their putative role in the plant root interaction in biocenoses.     

诱茶尺蠖天敌寄生蜂的茶树挥发物的分离与鉴定

采用Tenax GC动态吸附法对茶树-茶尺蠖Ectropis obliqua (Prout)-单白绵绒茧蜂Apanteles sp.三重营养关系中茶树的新梢挥发性化合物进行了捕集,经GC、GC-MS鉴定结果表明,不同来源的挥发物的组成和数量是不同的,完整茶树新梢(IS)的挥发物有11种组份;机械损伤新梢(MDS)的挥发物有13种组份;茶树-茶尺蠖取食复合体(PHC)的挥发物有15种组份,而用经典的SDE法获得的新梢精油有13种组份,4种挥发物数量的大小顺序为SDE>MDS>PHC>IS。生物测定结果表明,无气味经历的雌单白绵绒茧蜂对IS和MDS的气味的选择作用无统计上的显著性,对机械损伤新梢+幼虫口腔分泌物(MDS+Reg), 幼虫取食损伤(LDS)和PHC的气味有较强的偏好选择性。     

Immunological,Cytogenetical, and Behavioral Changes in CBA and C57BL/6 Male Mice after Pheromonal Action

Immunological and cytogenetical changes were studied in mice-recipients of CBA and C57BL/6 lines as well as modifications of their behavior appearing as a result of action of various stressors. Post-stress volatile excretions of CBA males cause led to a pronounced immunosuppression in males-recipients of both lines. This resulted in a decrease of capability for immune response of the stressed mice to sheep erythrocytes. Besides, in young males of the CBA line, frequency of chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells increased statistically significantly after stressing by syngenec volatile excretions of mature animals. Attractive properties of volatile excretions of the CBA and C57BL/6 line males were studied. In norm, animals of both lines prefer syngenic odors of intact males donors. However, for the CBA line males, post-stress excretions from males-donors of both lines became more attractive than excretions from intact animals. Also revealed were interline differences in incidence of choice of syngenic and allogenic post-stress excretions. This can be explained both by different stress-reactivity of animals-donors and differences of recipients of the studied genotypes in selectivity to olfactory stimuli. An importance of olfactory stresses and of the revealed interline differences for explanation of some micro-and macroevolutionary synecological processes in the domestic mouse is discussed.     

Induction of estrus in grouped female mice (Mus domesticus) by synthetic analogues of preputial gland constituents.

Two major volatile constituents of the male mouse preputial gland, E,E-alpha-farnesene and E-beta-farnesene, were examined for their role in inducing estrous cycles in grouped female mice. The results indicated that the mixture of the farnesenes was as effective as the homogenate of the intact preputial gland, while the extract of the castrate preputial tissue did not show a pronounced response.     

3-Ethyl-2,7-dimethyl octane, a testosterone dependent unique urinary sex pheromone in male mouse (Mus musculus)

A previous investigation revealed that urine from normal male mice contained five unique volatile constituents; namely: 3-cyclohexene-1-methanol (I); 3-amino triazole (II); 4-ethyl phenol (III); 3-ethyl-2,7-dimethyl octane (IV); 1-iodoundecane (V). The present study was designed to find out whether the production of these male specific urinary compounds was androgen-dependent. Urine of castrated and castrated plus testosterone-treated male mice was analyzed using gas chromatography linked mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Even though castrated male urine contained 10 detectable compounds, the five male specific compounds present in intact males were absent in castrated male mice urine. Only 3-ethyl-2,7-dimethyl octane (IV) reappeared following testosterone treatment into castrated males. Our earlier bioassay revealed that this compound was involved in attracting females. The present study concluded that this compound was a male specific volatile cue that acted as a releaser pheromone and its production was under the control of androgen.     

Quantitative analysis of mouse urine volatiles: in search of MHC-dependent differences

Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which play a critical role in immune recognition, influence mating preference and other social behaviors in mice. Training experiments using urine scent from mice differing only in the MHC complex, from MHC class I mutants or from knock-out mice lacking functional MHC class I molecules (beta2m-deficient), suggest that these behavioral effects are mediated by differences in MHC-dependent volatile components. In search for the physical basis of these behavioral studies, we have conducted a comparison of urinary volatiles in three sub-strains of C57BL/6 mice, a beta2m-deficient mutant lacking functional MHC class I expression and two unrelated inbred strains, using the technique of sorptive extraction with polydimethylsiloxan and subsequent analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. We show (i) that qualitative differences occur between different inbred strains but not in mice with the C57BL/6 background, (ii) that the individual variability in abundance in the same mouse strain is strongly component-dependent, (iii) that C57BL/6 sub-strains obtained from different provenance show a higher fraction of quantitative differences than a sub-strain and its beta2m-mutant obtained from the same source and (iv) that comparison of the spectra of beta2m mice and the corresponding wild type reveals no qualitative differences in close to 200 major and minor components and only minimal differences in a few substances from an ensemble of 69 selected for quantitative analysis. Our data suggest that odor is shaped by ontogenetic, environmental and genetic factors, and the gestalt of this scent may identify a mouse on the individual and population level; but, within the limits of the ensemble of components analysed, the results do not support the notion that functional MHC class I molecules influence the urinary volatile composition.     

Sexual partner preference requires a functional aromatase (cyp19) gene in male mice

Sexual motivation, sexual partner preference, and sexual performance represent three different aspects of sexual behavior that are critical in determining the reproductive success of a species. Although the display of sexual behavior is under strict hormonal control in both sexes, the relative roles of androgen and estrogen receptors in activating the various components of male sexual behavior are still largely unknown. A recently developed mouse model that is deficient in estradiol due to targeted disruption of exons 1 and 2 of the Cyp19 gene (aromatase knockout (ArKO) mice) was used here to analyze the role of estradiol in the control of all three aspects of male sexual behavior. When tested in a Y-maze providing volatile olfactory cues, male ArKO mice did not show a preference for the odors from an estrous female over those from an intact male, whereas wild-type (WT) and heterozygous (HET) males clearly preferred to sniff estrous odors. When provided with visual and olfactory cues, male ArKO mice also failed to show a preference for an estrous female when given a choice between an estrous female and an empty arm. However, sexual partner preferences of male ArKO mice were not sex-reversed: they did not prefer to investigate an intact male over an estrous female or empty arm. Thus, male ArKO mice seemed to have general deficits in discriminating between conspecifics by using olfactory and visual cues. Male coital behavior was also severely impaired in male ArKO mice: they displayed significantly fewer mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations than WT and HET males. Latencies to first mount or intromission were also significantly longer in ArKO males compared to WT and HET males, in addition to them showing less interest in investigating olfactory and visual cues in a Y-maze, suggesting that they were sexually less motivated. However, three out of seven male ArKO mice were capable of siring litters provided they were housed with a female for a prolonged period of time. In conclusion, aromatization of testosterone to estradiol appears to be essential for sexual motivation and sexual partner preference. By contrast, estradiol may play only a limited role in the expression of male coital behaviors.     

The influence of postradiation chemical signals of mice on the humoral immune response in recipients in different time relative to antigenic stimulus

The influence of volatile urine chemosignals of irradiated (4 Gy) mice on the primary humoral immune response to sheep red blood cells in intact recipients was investigated. It was demonstrated that the direction of immunomodulatory effect is dependent upon the time at which the postradiation chemosignals was initially applied. The antibody response to antigen was markedly suppressed in mice that were exposed before antigen injection. When chemosignals applied immediately following inoculation of antigen the antibody response was unaffected. The immune response was increased when chemosignals was loadeded for 1-10 days after immunization. The possible mechanisms of immunomodulation are considered.     

Hydrolysis products of glucosinolates in Brassica napus tissues as inhibitors of seed germination

Enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates, a class of compounds found in Brassica species, results in a number of products with potential to inhibit seed germination. To investigate the impact of both volatile and water-soluble allelochemicals, germination bioassays using Lactuca sativa seeds were conducted with root and combined leaf and stem tissues of Brassica napus. Tissues in which glucosinolates were hydrolyzed to remove volatile glucosinolate degradation products were compared with intact tissues and water controls. Only tissues containing glucosinolates produced volatiles that inhibited germination. Volatiles were trapped and identified using GC-MS. Volatiles produced in greater quanitity from intact tissues than from tissues without glucosinolates were almost exclusively glucosinolate hydrolysis products. Water-soluble components also inhibited germination. Chemical analysis of extracts confirmed the presence of glucosinolate hydrolysis products, but indicated the involvement of additional allelochemicals, especially in leaf and stem tissues. Results support the proposal that glucosinolate-containing plant tissues may contribute to reductions in synthetic pesticide use if weed seeds are targeted.Abbreviations ITC isothiocyanates - CN organic cyanides - OZT oxazolidinethione - iRoot intact root tissue - iL&S intact leaf and stem tissue - hRoot hydrolyzed root tissue - hL&S hydrolyzed leaf and stem tissue     

Albuminuria associated with CD2AP knockout mice is primarily due to dysfunction of the renal degradation pathway processing of filtered albumin

Here we address the assumption that the massive intact albuminuria accompanying mutations of structural components of the slit diaphragm is due to changes in glomerular permeability. The increase in intact albumin excretion rate in Cd2ap knockout mice by >100-fold was not accompanied by equivalent changes in urine flow rate, glomerular filtration rate or increases in dextran plasma clearance rate, which demonstrates that changes in glomerular permeability alone could not account for the increase in intact albumin excretion. The albuminuria could be accounted for by inhibition of the tubule degradation pathway associated with degrading filtered albumin. There are remarkable similarities between these results and all types of podocytopathies in acquired and toxin-induced renal disease, and nephrotic states seen in mice with podocyte mutations.     

Model of radiation-accelerated aging and its specific features

We conducted a lifetime study of the content of oxidized and methylated guanine in the urine of intact and irradiated mice. For statistical processing of the results, we used the trial period method created by A.A. Konradov, which was unpublished during the author’s lifetime. We prove that there are oscillating components in the age dependence of the concentration of oxidized and methylated guanine in mice urine. For intact animals, a 7-month oscillation period is the most probable (p = 0.001). For irradiated mice, a disruption in the seasonal oscillation rhythm in the concentration of oxidized and methylated guanine in urine was noted, which is peculiar to radiation-accelerated aging.