Sensory responses of olfactory and vomeronasal neurons in does are influenced by buck odors and their reproductive status.

ABSTRACT: In mammals, olfactory communication between conspecifics is crucial in modulating reproductive function. In anestrous does (i.e. female goats), exposure to hair from sexually active bucks (SAB, i.e. male goats) triggers a luteinizing hormone response that may induce ovulation, the "male effect." However, the chemicals in buck hair responsible for this effect and the sensory pathways used by the females to detect this information remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we investigated whether sensory cells from the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of does respond differently to olfactory stimuli from SAB versus wethers (CAS, i.e. castrated bucks) and how this response is influenced by the female reproductive status (breeding season, anestrous, or ovar

SUBMITTER: Meunier MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12163590 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature