Lipid Pheromones
Lipid Pheromones - Related Videos
07:25
Measuring Physiological Responses of Drosophila Sensory Neurons to Lipid Pheromones Using Live Calcium Imaging
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Cited by 4 •
2016
The forelegs and proboscis of Drosophila contain a rich repertoire of gustatory sensory neurons. Here, we present a method using calcium imaging to measure physiological responses from sensory neurons in the foreleg and proboscis of live flies upon exogenous application of a gustatory pheromone.
06:49
Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Cited by 1 •
2024
This protocol establishes methods for extracting and quantifying responses to the volatile sex pheromone in C. elegans, providing tools to study chemical communication and navigation trajectory.
09:31
Imaging Pheromone Sensing in a Mouse Vomeronasal Acute Tissue Slice Preparation
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Cited by 15 •
2011
In mice, the ability to detect pheromones is principally mediated by the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Here, an acute tissue slice preparation of VNO for performing calcium imaging is described. This physiological approach allows observations of subpopulations and/or individual neurons in a living tissue and is convenient for receptor-ligand identification.
07:31
Using an Adapted Microfluidic Olfactory Chip for the Imaging of Neuronal Activity in Response to Pheromones in Male C. Elegans Head Neurons
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Cited by 20 •
2017
The use of an adapted "olfactory chip" for the efficient calcium imaging of C. elegans males is described here. Studies of male exposure to glycerol and a pheromone are also shown.
03:38
Structure of Lipids
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2020
Lipids include a diverse group of compounds that are largely nonpolar in nature. This is because they are hydrocarbons that include mostly nonpolar carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds. Non-polar molecules are hydrophobic (“water fearing”), or insoluble in water. Lipids perform many different functions in a cell. Cells store energy for long-term use in the form of fats. Lipids also provide insulation from the environment for plants and animals. For example, they help keep aquatic birds and...
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Hydrophobicity allows these signals to remain on skin, in glandular secretions, or on an insect’s cuticle rather than dispersing immediately. That persistence can support detection through direct contact or nearby chemical sampling. The resulting signal duration and location help determine whether a receiver encounters the cue during social recognition, mating, attraction, or aggression.
Specialized olfactory or contact-chemosensory receptors recognize the chemical signal and activate neural circuits. Those circuits do more than register the molecule: they connect sensory detection with behavioral outputs such as attraction, mating, aggression, or social recognition. This receptor-to-circuit pathway makes lipid pheromones useful for studying how molecular identity becomes organized behavior.
The same chemical cue can be interpreted through neural systems shaped by internal state and hormone-dependent behavior. Studying this interaction shows how sensory information is integrated with the organism’s physiological condition rather than operating as an isolated reflex. This connection is especially relevant when investigating reproductive or social responses to chemical signals.
The two detection routes provide complementary information about a chemical cue. Olfactory sensing can support recognition without direct contact, whereas contact chemosensation is suited to signals deposited on surfaces such as skin or an insect cuticle. Comparing these pathways helps explain how the physical persistence of a lipid signal relates to the neural control of species-specific behavior.
A neuroscience investigation can trace the relationship from the chemical signal and its specialized receptor to activated neural circuits and observable behavior. Researchers can then consider how internal physiological state modifies that pathway. This integrated approach provides a framework for studying attraction, mating, aggression, and social recognition as linked levels of biological communication.
These studies reveal how closely related organisms may respond to chemical cues through distinct recognition systems and neural circuits. Differences in signaling or response can help clarify why behaviors remain species-specific and how communication contributes to reproductive isolation. The work therefore links individual chemical interactions with broader questions about species boundaries and nervous-system organization.