Grueneberg Ganglion Cells Mediate Alarm Pheromone Detection in Mice

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 321; no. 5892; pp. 1092 - 1095
• Main Authors: Brechbühl, Julien, Klaey, Magali, Broillet, Marie-Christine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 22.08.2008; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animal Communication; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Axotomy; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Calcium; Calcium - metabolism; Cellular biology; Cellular immunity; Cilia; Cilia - ultrastructure; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ganglia; Ganglia, Sensory - physiology; Ganglia, Sensory - ultrastructure; Mice; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Nasal cavity; Nasal Mucosa - cytology; Nasal Mucosa - innervation; Neuroglia; Neuroglia - ultrastructure; Neurons; Neurons, Afferent - physiology; Neurons, Afferent - ultrastructure; Neurosciences; Olfactory system and olfaction. Gustatory system and gustation; Perfusion; Permeability; Pheromones; Pheromones - analysis; Rodents; Smell; Stress, Physiological; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Glial cell; Calcium; Neuroglia; Insecta; Rodentia; Pheromone; Medical screening; Electron microscopy; In vitro; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Neuron; Mouse; Arthropoda; Animal; Olfaction; Perception; Invertebrata; Body; Tonic immobility
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1160770

Alarm pheromones (APs) are widely used throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Species such as fish, insects, and mammals signal danger to conspecifics by releasing volatile alarm molecules. Thus far, neither the chemicals, their bodily source, nor the sensory system involved in their detection have been isolated or identified in mammals. We found that APs are recognized by the Grueneberg ganglion (GG), a recently discovered olfactory subsystem. We showed with electron microscopy that GG neurons bear primary cilia, with cell bodies ensheathed by glial cells. APs evoked calcium responses in GG neurons in vitro and induced freezing behavior in vivo, which completely disappeared when the GG degenerated after axotomy. We conclude that mice detect APs through the activation of olfactory GG neurons.