Chemical Communication

Research on Biochemical and Physiological Aspects of Pheromone Perception and Chemical Communication in Mammals

CHEMICAL APPROACH TO PHEROMONE IDENTIFICATION:

- developing the means of profiling volatile constituents of the chemosignal source (headspace extraction, solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, etc., followed by a quantitative chromatographic analysis

- comparing quantitatively the substance profiles under different endocrinological situations

- spectroscopic identification of the pheromonal candidates

- organic synthesis

- testing synthetic analogs biologically alongside with the natural stimulus

The MUP-I (major-urinary protein-I) structure. (A) A topology diagram illustrates the main chain hydrogen bond pattern (dashed lines) between ß-strands in the MUP-I ß-barrel. (B) A ribbon diagram illustrates the position of HMH within the MUP-I pheromone binding site and highlights the proximity of pheromone to the point of separation between ßd and ßc. ( C ) A ribbon diagram illustrates HMH binding viewed from the entrance to the ß-barrel.

D.E. Timm, L.J. Baker, H. Mueller, L. Zidek and M.V. Novotny. Protein Science (2001), 10:997-1004