Biochemical and chemical supports for a transnatal olfactory continuity through sow maternal fluids

Recognition of the mother is of major importance for the survival of mammalian neonates. This recognition is based, immediately after birth, on the detection of odours that have been learned by the fetus in utero. If the ethological basis of a transnatal olfactory continuity is well established, little is known on the nature of its olfactory cues, and nothing about the presence of potential carrier proteins in the maternal fluids such as amniotic fluid, colostrum and milk. We have identified the components of the pig putative maternal pheromone in these fluids of the sow. We also used a ligand-oriented approach to functionally characterize carrier proteins for these compounds in the maternal fluids. Six proteins were identified, using binding assay, immunodetection and peptide mapping by mass spectrometry. These proteins are known to transport hydrophobic ligands in biological fluids. Among them, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) and odorant-binding protein (OBP) have been described in the oral sphere of piglets as being involved in the detection of pig putative maternal pheromone components. These are the first chemical and biochemical data supporting a transnatal olfactory continuity between the fetal and the postnatal environments.