Foxn1 Gene Knockout Suppresses Sexual Attractiveness and Pheromonal Components of Male Urine in Inbred Mice
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Biological Sciences
Publication Date
1-2010
Abstract
The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) posits that females prefer signals emitted by immunocompetent males over immunocompromised males and that these signals are honest. However, mechanisms of mate choice under an ICHH model may be impacted by levels of genetic variation (inbred animals vs. outbred animals). Here, we conducted 2-choice female preference experiments and chemical analyses of male urine in inbred BALB/c and outbred CD-1 mice, both of which have immunocompromised nude (nu) strains resulting from a Foxn1 gene knockout. We found that inbred BALB/c females but not outbred CD-1 females preferred the urine of healthy males over that of immunocompromised males despite measured differences in the qualities of their urine. There was a clear increase in female-attracting pheromones (such as farnesenes) in the preputial glands and urine metabolites in healthy BALB/c males but no such difference between CD-1 and CD-1 nu males. Therefore, CD-1 male urine failed to provide an honest mate-choice cue for females. Our results suggest that deleterious traits associated with male odor in mice might be jointly affected by the level of inbreeding and immunodeficiency caused by a single-gene knockout.
Recommended Citation
Zhang, J., Sun, L. & Zhang, Y. (2010). Foxn1 gene knockout suppresses sexual attractiveness and pheromonal components of male urine in inbred mice. Chemical Senses 35(1), 47-56. DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjp081
Journal
Chemical Senses
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 Oxford University Press
Comments
This article was originally published in Chemical Senses. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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