Puberty delay

Coppola D.M. and Vandenbergh J.G. (1985). Effect of density, duration of grouping and age of urine stimulus on the puberty delay pheromone in female mice. J Reprod Fertil 73, 517-522. 

Kruczek M. and Marchlewska-Koj A. (1986). Puberty delay of Bank Vole females in a high-density population. Biol Reprod 35, 537-541. 

Massey A. and Vandenbergh J.G. (1980). Puberty delay by a urinary cue from female house mice in feral populations. Science 209, 821-822. 

Novotny M., Ma W., Zidek L. and Daev E. (1999). Recent biochemical insights into puberty acceleration, estrus induction, and puberty delay in the house mouse. In Advances in Chemical Signals in Vertebrates (Johnston R.L., Miiller-Schwarze D. and Sorenson P., eds.), pp. 99-116. 

Reduced food intake and efficiency of food use, altered iron metabolism, clinical signs of copper deficiency. Onset of puberty delayed 10 weeks, decreased conception rate (fertility 12-33% vs. 57-80% in controls), disrupted estrus cycle (67% were anestrus vs. 7% in controls), and other signs consistent with decreased releases of luteinizing hormones associated with altered ovarian secretion (3, 4) Growth and fertilization normal liver copper 10 mg/kg DW only 16% of embryos developed normally (2)... 

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). 

Puberty delay has been documented for feral mice by a clever experiment. Eemales in populations delimited by a freeway cloverleaf produced urine that delayed puberty in laboratory mice only if their population was very dense (Massey and Vandenbergh, 1980). In another experiment, foreign females were... 

Stimuli other than chemical cues can play an important role in puberty delay in females. In the California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, which is monogamous, physical contact with the mother, and not a urinary chemosignal per se, is necessary for delay of puberty of females (Gubernick and Nordby, 1992). 

FIGURE 8.3 Puberty-delaying compounds in female mouse urine. 

Coppola, D. M. (1986). The puberty delaying pheromone of the house mouse field data and a new evolutionary perspective. In Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, vol. 4, ed. D. Duvall, D. Miiller-Schwarze, and R. M. Silverstein, pp. 457-462 New York Plenum. 

Coppola, D. M. and O Connell, R. J. (1988). Behavioral responses of peripubertal female mice towards puberty-accelerating and puberty-delaying chemical signals. Chemical Senses 13,407-424. 

At the level of chemical compounds, one compound may substitute for another, and the activity still remains the same. Different numbers and types of compounds in a single secretion may have the same effect. The puberty delay pheromone in female mice and the castoreum of beaver are examples. In the mouse, of six adrenal-dependent compounds, two acetates are active together, one pyrazine by itself, and all three together with no increase in activity (Novotny et al.). In beaver castoreum, a mixture of 12 neutrals (monoterpenes) released the same activity as 14 phenolics (Schulte et al. 1994). A third example is the combination of androstenol and androstenone that form the boar pheromone in the male pig s saliva. Both induce the sow s mating stance alone and in combination (Melrose et al., 1971). 

RECENT BIOCHEMICAL INSIGHTS INTO PUBERTY ACCELERATION, ESTRUS INDUCTION, AND PUBERTY DELAY IN THE HOUSE MOUSE... 

Puberty Acceleration, Estrus Induction, and Puberty Delay in the House Mouse... 

---