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Science 5 April 2002:
Vol. 296. no. 5565, pp. 138 - 141
DOI: 10.1126/science.1067797
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Reports

Bile Acid Secreted by Male Sea Lamprey That Acts as a Sex Pheromone

Weiming Li,1* Alexander P. Scott,3 Michael J. Siefkes,1 Honggao Yan,2 Qin Liu,2 Sang-Seon Yun,1 Douglas A. Gage2

We show that reproductively mature male sea lampreys release a bile acid that acts as a potent sex pheromone, inducing preference and searching behavior in ovulated female lampreys. The secreted bile acid 7alpha ,12alpha ,24-trihydroxy-5alpha -cholan-3-one 24-sulfate was released in much higher amounts relative to known vertebrate steroid pheromones and may be secreted through the gills. Hence, the male of this fish species signals both its reproductive status and location to females by secreting a pheromone that can act over long distances.

1 Department of Fisheries and Wildlife,
2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
3 The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, The Nothe, Barrack Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 8UB, UK.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Liweim{at}msu.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)