Mating induces puberty in the female musk shrew

Female musk shrews (Suncus murinus), lacking a behavioral estrous cycle, engage in copulatory behavior whenever tested; even during pregnancy, sexual activity can be displayed. Studies suggest that protracted sexual behavior has a functional significance in this species. Virgin females receiving a series of ejaculations over the course of several days are more likely to ovulate and subsequently deliver than animals given the same number of ejaculations over an interval of a few hours. After the virgin mating only one third of the ovaries placed in culture exhibit increased steroidogenesis. In the present set of studies, the hypothesis that the virgin mating induces the onset of puberty, in a manner similar to that in which male-related pheromones induce estrous in rodents, was tested. On the basis of gestational lengths it is evident that females mated three times (on Days 0, 4, and 8) became pregnant in the vast majority of cases as a result of the second and third matings. When the first and second matings were separated by 25 days, 82% of females ovulated in response to the second mating; less than one third of females mated only once ovulated. Finally females were housed across a screen from males, exposed to male urine, or housed alone prior to the virgin mating. In none of these cases did pre-exposure to male-related cues increase ovulation rates in response to the virgin mating. The results show that the virgin mating primes the neuroendocrine system in such a way that the pubertal ovulation can occur in response to subsequent mating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)