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Science 22 August 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5892, pp. 1092 - 1095
DOI: 10.1126/science.1160770
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Reports

Grueneberg Ganglion Cells Mediate Alarm Pheromone Detection in Mice

Julien Brechbühl, Magali Klaey, Marie-Christine Broillet*

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.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Lausanne, Bugnon 27, CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mbroille{at}unil.ch

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