Sex Difference and Steroid Modulation of Pheromone-Induced Immediate Early Genes in the Two Zones of the Mouse Accessory Olfactory System

Two anatomically and neurochemically distinct zones within the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) have been identified that are responsible for the detection of pheromones. Using markers to distinguish between apical and basal neurons of the VNO neuroepithelium and rostral versus caudal AOB glomeruli, we examined immediate early gene immunoreactivity (IEG-IR) in gonadectomized, steroid-treated mice in response to pheromones of male and female conspecifics. After exposure of estradiol-treated females to soiled male bedding, more VNO neurons in the basal than the apical layer exhibited IEG-IR compared with VNO neurons of estradiol-treated males. Conversely, whereas soiled female bedding failed to induce IEG-IR in VNO neurons of estradiol-treated males or females, both apical and basal neurons were activated in testosterone-treated males. Male and female pheromones also activated mitral and granule cells in the AOBs of all subjects, but responses to different pheromones were distributed across the boundary of the rostral and caudal regions. These data show that differences in the response of males and females to the same pheromonal stimulus are found in the sensory neurons of the VNO. We propose that centrifugal, noradrenergic inputs to VNO neurons, which may differ in the two sexes and respond differently to adult sex steroids, modulate sensitivity to pheromonal stimulation.