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Fig. 7 | BMC Biology

Fig. 7

From: Detection of pup odors by non-canonical adult vomeronasal neurons expressing an odorant receptor gene is influenced by sex and parenting status

Fig. 7

Activation of Olfr692 cells in the VNO of virgin male mice correlates with pup-directed aggressive behavior. (a) Juvenile-oriented aggressive behavior (top, left) and parental care behavior (pup grooming; top, right) exhibited by virgin females, virgin males, parenting males (fathers), and parenting females (mothers) of wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 strain, showing pup-directed aggression in naive males (n = 6–9 mice). In the absence of a functional VNO (TrpC2-/- mutant mice), infanticidal behavior is impaired and the expression of parental care (pup-grooming) is similar to that exhibited by mothers. Bars with black outlines represent individuals exposed to alien pups; gray outlines indicate exposure to self-pups. Investigative behavior is also shown (bottom, left). ‘0’ indicates no episodes of the measured behavior. (b) Number of animals which exhibited at least one episode of the measured behavior (pup-directed aggression or grooming) in wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 or TrpC2-/- animals. ‘1/9’ indicates that one animal displayed the behavior in a sample of n = 9. (c, d) Olfr692 cells are rarer in the VNO of TrpC2-/- mice and are not activated by juvenile odors (d). lu, VNO lumen. Scale bar = 100 μm. In graphs, mean ± SEM

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