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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Poststressor change in attractiveness of mice odourgens

It was shown, that under physiological conditions, intact noninbred mice or high-inbred mice-testers in reaction of preference-avoidance prefer volatile components secreted by mice of a genetically identical group. After exposure to stress factors, mice release with urine the volatile components, which are more preferable by testers than the volatile secretion of intact mice indepedently of the genotype of 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.     

Mechanisms of T-lymphocyte stimulation of erythropoiesis under local body irradiation

Thymocytes transplanted into thymectomized mice with a locally irradiated lower limb in a dose of 7 Gy were accumulated in the depleted bone marrow to stimulate the processes of postradiation erythron regeneration. Cytosar treatment did not affect the regulatory function of thymocytes. At the same time thymocytes treated with actinomycin D possessed less powerful stimulating effect than intact ones.     

Behavioural and endocrine responses of female mice to synthetic analogues of volatile compounds in male urine

The urine of intact, adult male mice elicits more investigatory sniffing from female mice than does the urine of castrated males. When either of two androgen-dependent urinary compounds, 2-sec-butyl dihydrothiazole or dehydro-exo-brevicomin are added to castrate urine, its relative attractiveness remains the same. When both compounds are added to castrate urine, however, its activity is enhanced and the castrate urine becomes as attractive to females as whole, intact male urine. Females exposed to the reconstituted ‘normal’ urine for 3 min per day, displayed more frequent oestrus cycles. The two synthetic compounds are synergistic in the context of castrate urine, producing an olfactory message that behaviourally and physiologically mimics the activity of the normal biological signal.     

The activation of specific immunity in male mice stimulates fertility of their breeding partners: the phenomenon of lot's daughters

In previous experimental studies on laboratory mice, it was shown that activation of specific immunity by injection with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) lessens males' sexual olfactory attractiveness for intact females. However, reduced attractiveness can decrease males' reproductive efficiency only under the conditions of free mating, which is not obligatory for natural populations. The goal of this work was to study the influence of immunoenhancement on sexual behavior and reproductive output of outbred ICR male mice. Males, either injected with saline (control group) or SRBC-treated, were kept with intact females during 5 days after injection. While the number of fertile copulations was practically equal in both groups, the potential (ovulated ova) and actual (number of embryos) fecundity was significantly higher in females having been paired off with SRBC-treated males. Main reproductive effects were registered at 3-5th day after injection, when specific antibody-forming process starts and males' scent becomes less attractive for females. On the base of previous and present data, the hypothesis is proposed that if the quality of a non-alternative mating partner is compromised by activation of specific immunity, a female tries to maximize its reproductive output (due to low chance of repeated copulation). This responsibility for the next generation is reminiscent of the Bible story about Lot and his daughters, and may help to sustain the species existence under conditions of parasitic press.     

麦麸及其挥发性物质对二点委夜蛾幼虫的引诱作用

【目的】二点委夜蛾Athetis lepigone是我国夏玉米上的一种新害虫,对玉米苗危害严重。由于其幼虫常隐蔽在收割机收获小麦后留在田间的麦秸和麦糠下,防治非常困难,因此开展二点委夜蛾幼虫引诱剂的研究具有重要的意义。【方法】本实验用“Y”型嗅觉仪测定了二点委夜蛾幼虫对麦秆﹑麦糠﹑玉米苗﹑麦麸﹑炒麦麸5种试材的行为反应;利用顶空固相微萃取(HS-SPME)与气相色谱 质谱联用仪（GC-MS）分析,比较了炒麦麸、麦麸中挥发物的成分,并从中挑选出6种化合物单体、8种混合物进行室内诱集实验。【结果】5种试材中炒麦麸引诱效果最好。6种单体中, 2-庚酮在5 μg/μL浓度下的引诱效果最好,引诱率为75.9%。8种混合物中,2 庚酮+苯甲醛+对二甲苯的引诱效果较好,引诱率为72.7%,但引诱效果不如2 庚酮单体。【结论】结果说明,2-庚酮对二点委夜蛾幼虫有强烈的引诱作用,从而为二点委夜蛾幼虫的田间诱杀技术提供了研究基础。     

The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in male attraction and repulsion by female Dawson's burrowing bee, Amegilla dawsoni

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are long-chain fatty acids and their derivatives that protect insects from desiccation. They can also be important semiochemicals in insect reproduction. We used behavioural and chemical assays to examine the potential role of CHCs in sexual communication in a solitary burrowing bee, Amegilla dawsoni. Washing CHC blends from the cuticle of emerging virgin females made them unattractive to mate-searching males. Returning the CHC blends restored their attractiveness. Nesting females were unattractive to mate-searching males, whether they were washed or not. Chemical analysis identified significant differences between male and female CHC blends and between virgin female and nesting female blends. Some of these differences were due to specific compounds. Loss of attractiveness is unlikely to be due to antiaphrodisiac compounds delivered by males, because male-specific compounds were not found on nesting females, and because recently mated females with intact CHC blends were attractive to searching males. Nesting females could not be made attractive to searching males by removing their CHC blends. Adding virgin female CHC blends tended to improve attractiveness but the effect was weak, suggesting that some form of volatile compound may also be involved in signalling unreceptivity.     

Head Tilt and Fertility Contribute to Different Aspects of Female Facial Attractiveness

Subjective attractiveness ratings of facial portraits of women taken at the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle are higher than those of portraits of the same women taken during non‐fertile periods. As female faces tilted downward are rated as more attractive and female courtship behaviours change across the menstrual cycle, we investigated whether systematic downward tilt of women's faces during the fertile phase might be responsible for increased attractiveness ratings. In the original study (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B, 271, 2004, S272), the fertile‐phase portrait of each woman was deemed more attractive in 56–62% of cases. When the portraits were reclassified by head pitch, the more downward‐tilted portrait was preferred in 64–73% of cases. The fertile‐phase portrait was no more likely to be the downward‐tilted one, however, suggesting that effects of fertility on attractiveness are not simply due to changes in head position. We also had these portraits rated (N = 130) for physical attractiveness and behavioural allure. Fertile‐phase portraits were rated as more physically attractive than non‐fertile portraits, while more downward‐tilted portraits were rated as more behaviourally alluring than less downward‐tilted ones. These data not only confirm reported effects of head tilt and fertility on perceived female attractiveness, but also suggest that these factors influence different components of the attractiveness percept.     

Judging the Difference between Attractiveness and Health: Does Exposure to Model Images Influence the Judgments Made by Men and Women?

Recent research has shown facial adiposity (apparent weight in the face) to be a significant predictor of both attractiveness and health, thus making it an important determinant of mate selection. Studies looking at the relationship between attractiveness and health have shown that individuals differentiate between the two by preferring a lower weight for attractiveness than for health in female faces. However, these studies have either been correlational studies, or have investigated weight perceived from only the face. These differences have been discussed with regard to sociocultural factors such as pressure from parents, peers and also media, which has been seen to have the highest influence. While exposure to media images has been shown to influence women’s own-body image, no study has yet directly tested the influence of these factors on people’s preferred weight in other women’s bodies. Here we examine how a short exposure to images of models influences men’s and women’s judgments of the most healthy looking and attractive BMI in Malaysian Chinese women’s bodies by comparing differences in preferences (for attractiveness and health) between groups exposed to images of models of varying attractiveness and body weight. Results indicated that participants preferred a lower weight for attractiveness than for health. Further, women’s but not men’s preferred BMI for attractiveness, but not health, was influenced by the type of media images to which they were exposed, suggesting that short term exposure to model images affect women’s perceptions of attractiveness but not health.     

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.     

植物气味化合物对棉铃虫产卵及田间诱蛾的影响

利用触角电位技术（EAG）研究棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera对17种植物气味物质的嗅觉反应,实验结果表明：棉铃虫雄蛾、雌蛾对所试各种植物气味物质均无明显的嗅觉反应差异,不同种类的气味物质能引起不同的EAG反应。对其中的几种植物气味物质进行了引诱产卵实验及田间诱蛾实验,结果表明：某些寄主植物的挥发性次生物质显示出较好的引诱产卵活性,且对棉铃虫性诱剂具有增效和协同作用。田间实验数据显示,增加了植物气味物质的棉铃虫性诱剂与单一的棉铃虫性诱剂相比差异显著。     

A novel attractant for Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) from a Concord grape product

An attractant for Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was developed from a commercial product called Sabor Uva containing processed Concord grape juice. The principal volatile components of Sabor Uva aroma were identified and an aqueous mixture of 15 components that was gas chromatographically similar to Sabor Uva was prepared. This mixture was equivalent to Sabor Uva in attractiveness by using wind-tunnel bioassays. After deleting chemicals that did not contribute to attractiveness, and increasing the concentrations of the remaining chemicals, the final attractant contained propylene glycol (90,000 ppm, vol/vol), acetic acid (4500), methyl anthranilate (1800), ethyl 2-methylpropionate (670), and one or both of the esters ethyl 3-methylbutyrate (44) and 2-methylbutyl propionate (44), in aqueous solution. This mixture was approximately 1.8X as attractive as Sabor Uva by indirect comparison. Deletion of propylene glycol, acetic acid, methyl anthranilate, or ethyl 2-methylpropionate from the mixture significantly decreased attractiveness. Deletion of either of the other two esters seemed to diminish attractiveness although effects were not statistically significant. Deletion of water from the mixture significantly decreased attractiveness. We conclude that propylene glycol, acetic acid, methyl anthranilate, water, and at least one or as many as all three of the methyl-branched esters are essential for complete attractiveness.     

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.     

Changes in male sexual responses from silk cues of females at different reproductive states in the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa

Male wolf spiders are capable of recognising sexual signals associated with female silk threads. In the wolf spider Schizocosa malitiosa variations in female receptivity have been studied, but changes in female silk attractiveness remain unknown. We analysed the sexual responses of adult males (leg shaking, papal drumming and searching) exposed to silk cues from subadult, virgin and mated females of different ages, and females that were or were not carrying an egg-sac. Penultimate and recently moulted adult females elicited low levels of male sexual behaviour, while those of virgin females (21–40 days old) were the most attractive. Silk threads slowly became less attractive after mating. Cues from females carrying an egg-sac as well as females in the inter egg-sac period were fairly attractive. The low attractiveness of recently moulted females disagrees with their high sexual receptivity. In contrast, females continued to elicit strong male responses during a 10-day period after mating, despite the fact that they immediately become sexually reluctant, suggesting strong selection for male searching ability. Low attractiveness during the egg-carrying period could reflect the fact that females do not require any further sperm. Concordances and discordances between attractiveness and sexual receptivity suggest that they respond to different physiological mechanisms.     

雄性布氏田鼠包皮腺中的昆虫信息素类似物编码的性别和个体信息

我们利用二氯甲烷抽提和气质联用(GC-MS)比较分析了正常和阉割布氏田鼠的包皮腺分泌物(PGS)成分。我们检测到33个成分,它们几乎在所有的被测布氏田鼠都存在,其中27个成分以前报道为昆虫的信息素组分。睾丸切除不能使任何一个成分完全消失,但是显著降低了10个首先从GC-MS流失出的小分子成分,即7个饱和与不饱和的乙酸酯,一个饱和六酸酯和两个饱和八酸酯,其中,包括PGS含量最高的成分E,E-法尼醇乙酸酯。因此,可以认为这些受睾丸调节的成分为雄性信息素的候选成分。对雌鼠的嗅觉双项选择测定说明低浓度的PGS和法尼醇乙酸酯水溶液对雌性有吸引作用,而高浓度时都具有趋避作用。这说明PGS具有剂量依赖的性吸引作用,法尼醇乙酸酯是一种剂量依赖的雄性信息素。进一步的数量比较说明,所有检测到成分的百分组成在个体间表现出巨大的个体变异,说明PGS的成分有个体的特异性,可能传递个体的嗅觉信息。