Neuron
Volume 19, Issue 2, August 1997, Pages 371-379
Journal home page for Neuron

Article
A New Multigene Family of Putative Pheromone Receptors

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80946-0Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Abstract

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) mediates detection of pheromones related to social and reproductive behavior in most terrestrial vertebrates. We have identified a new multigene family of G protein–linked receptors (V2Rs) that are specifically expressed in the VNO. V2Rs have no significant homology to other putative pheromone receptors (V1Rs) or to olfactory receptors but are related to the Ca2+-sensing receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptors. V2Rs are expressed at high levels in small subpopulations of VNO neurons. V2Rs are primarily expressed in a different layer of VNO neurons from V1Rs, thus both gene families are likely to encode mammalian pheromone receptors.

Cited by (0)