Mus musculus pheromone

Bacchini A., Gatetani E. and Cavaggioni A. (1992). Pheromone binding proteins of the mouse, Mus musculus. Experientia 48, 419-421. 

Dizinno G., Whitney G. and Nyby J. (1978). Ultrasonic vocalisation by male mice (Mus musculus) to female sex pheromone experiential determinants. Behav Biol 22, 104-113. 

Robertson D., Benyon R.L. and Evershed R. (1993). Extraction, characterization and binding analysis of two pheromonally active ligands associated with major urinary proteins of house mouse (Mus musculus). J Chem Ecol 19, 1405-1416. 

Hurst, J.L. and Nevison, C. (1994) Do female house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) regulate their exposure to reproductive priming pheromones Anim. Behav. 48, 945-959. 

These pheromones increase the reproductive success of older females, but just how consequential they are for white-footed mice is not yet clear. We can reasonably assume that they affect the number and fitness of the mice in the forest and so contribute to our story. Related pheromones regulate reproduction in other species of mice, including common laboratory mice (Mus musculus), which have been studied in considerable detail. Other mice also have additional signals in their urine to advertise their occupancy of a particular area and to communicate their sex, sexual state, and relative age it is likely that white-footed mice make use of such signals as well. 

A second example of a mammalian multicomponent pheromone is the puberty-delaying pheromone from female house mice, Mus musculus. Two acetate esters and a pyrazine are biologically active in various combinations, but the pyrazine is also active alone (Novotny etal, 1985a). 

In 1984, 3,4-dehydro-exo-brevicomin (99, Figure 4.50) and 2-sec -butyl-4,5-dihydrothiazole (100) were isolated by Novotny and coworkers from the urine of the male house mouse (Mus musculus) as pheromone components.92 They act, synergistically, in promoting intermale aggression, sex attraction, and estrus synchronization in female mice. It was later found that the natural components are ( R,5S,lR)-99 and (S)-100. Additional achiral compounds 101 and 102 were also identified as possible pheromone components. 

One enantiomer of a volatile pheromone isolated from urine of the male mouse of the species Mus musculus has been synthesized fi om (i ,7 )-tartaric acid via acetonide 88. Grignard addition and subsequent Wacker oxidation of the resulting olefin provides ketone 138. This is converted in four steps to (l S, 5i ,7iS)- xo-7-ethyl-5-methyl-6,8-dioxabicy-clo[3.2.1]oct-3-ene (139). Similarly, R,5S,lR)-exo- is prepared from (5, 5)-tartaric acid. The enantiomeric purity of both enantiomers corresponds to 100% ee [55] (Scheme 32). 

Bacchini, A., Gaetani, E., and Cavaggioni, A. 1992. Pheromone Binding Proteins of the Mouse, Mus musculus. Experientia, 48, 419-421. 

Sokolov, V. E., Kotenkova, E. V. Zinkevich, E. P. 1979. The pheromone of belonging of an individual to each own species in house mice (Mus musculus L.). Dokl. Biol. Sci., Proc. of the Acad, of Sciences, Biol. Sci. Sec. Russian Original 246, 766-768 [translation from Russian, Consultants Bureau, Plenum publishing Corporation, New-York]. 

Daev, E.V. 1994. Pheromonal regulation of genetic processes Research on the house mouse (Mus musculus L.). Genetika, 30, 1105-1112. 

Dizinno, G., Whitney, G., and Nyby, J., 1978, Ultrasonic vocalizations by male mice (Mus musculus) in response to a female-produced pheromone Effects of experience, Behav. Biol., 22 104. 

Novotny et al. (293) identified a volatile substance in male mouse (Mus musculus) urine, whose concentration depends on the level of testosterone, as 7-exo-ethyl-5-methyl-6,8-oxabicyclo-[3.2.1]-3-octene (65) or ejco-3,4-dehydrobrevicomin, and suggested that it might be a pheromone or pheromone adjuvant. The proposed structure is identical, except for the 3,4 double bond, with that of the pine bark beetle Dendroctonus frontalis pheromone exo-brevicomin (66). 

There is some evidence that primer pheromones play a role in agonistic and hierarchical behavior among rodents, pigs, primates and other mammals as well as fishes (90,119, 215, 355-363). In the house mouse Mus musculus this effect is not influenced by the genotype (364). 

Novikov, S.N., and V.V. Babalyan Recipient Genotype and Efficiency of the Action of Pheromone Controlling the Aggressive Behavior of the House Mouse Mus musculus. Dokl. Acad. Nauk. SSSR 278,1479-1481 (1984) (in Russian Chemical Abstracts 102, 73.325 u). 

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