Imaging pheromone sensing in a mouse vomeronasal acute tissue slice preparation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Animal Behavior
• Sensory Biology

Background:

• Pheromones are crucial for intra-species communication, influencing survival behaviors.
• The mouse vomeronasal organ (VNO) detects pheromones via specialized sensory neurons (VSNs).
• Investigating VSNs is complex due to numerous subpopulations and organ morphology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel physiological method for studying mouse VNO function.
• To enable calcium imaging of VSN subpopulations in their native tissue environment.
• To facilitate research into pheromone receptor signaling pathways.

Main Methods:

• Acute tissue slice preparation of the mouse VNO.
• Calcium imaging using Fura-2AM dye.
• Utilizing GFP-tagged pheromone receptors in a transgenic mouse line (VG mouse).

Main Results:

• The acute slice preparation allows observation of VSN activity in a physiological context.
• The method is adaptable for studying specific VSN subpopulations and GFP-tagged receptors.
• Demonstrated feasibility using a VG mouse line expressing a GFP-linked V1rb2 receptor.

Conclusions:

• The developed VNO slice preparation is a valuable tool for studying pheromone sensory mechanisms.
• This technique advances the investigation of VSN signaling and receptor function.
• Provides a foundation for exploring TRPC2-independent transduction pathways.