Central role of G protein Gαi2 and Gαi2+ vomeronasal neurons in balancing territorial and infant-directed aggression of male mice

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Anne-Charlotte TrouilletPablo Chamero

Abstract

Aggression is controlled by the olfactory system in many animal species. In male mice, territorial and infant-directed aggression are tightly regulated by the vomeronasal organ (VNO), but how diverse subsets of sensory neurons convey pheromonal information to limbic centers is not yet known. Here, we employ genetic strategies to show that mouse vomeronasal sensory neurons expressing the G protein subunit Gαi2 regulate male-male and infant-directed aggression through distinct circuit mechanisms. Conditional ablation of Gαi2 enhances male-male aggression and increases neural activity in the medial amygdala (MeA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and lateral septum. By contrast, conditional Gαi2 ablation causes reduced infant-directed aggression and decreased activity in MeA neurons during male-infant interactions. Strikingly, these mice also display enhanced parental behavior and elevated neural activity in the medial preoptic area, whereas sexual behavior remains normal. These results identify Gαi2 as the primary G protein α-subunit mediating the detection of volatile chemosignals in the apical layer of the VNO, and they show that Gαi2+ VSNs and the brain circuits activated by these neurons play a central role in orchestrati...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 10, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Thomas BlumTrese Leinders-Zufall
Dec 6, 2019·Brain Structure & Function·Paula R VillamayorPablo Sanchez-Quinteiro
Jan 23, 2020·Scientific Reports·Anna PalléJosé Luis Trejo
Jan 5, 2021·Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience·Cinta Navarro-MorenoFernando Martinez-Garcia
Jan 13, 2021·Cell and Tissue Research·Roberto Tirindelli
Mar 9, 2021·Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience·Anne-Charlotte TrouilletPablo Chamero
Apr 20, 2021·Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS·Raghu Ram Katreddi, Paolo E Forni
May 1, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Violaine MechinPietro Asproni
May 4, 2021·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·Tara Raam, Weizhe Hong
Jul 3, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Chitose Orikasa
Jun 9, 2021·American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology·Raquel López-GálvezIgnacio Caballero

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