Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...

Chemical Signaling in the Endocrine System

Chemical Signaling in the Endocrine System

A signaling cascade is a series of events that facilitates the transmission of information within or between cells, culminating in a targeted response in the recipient cell. As chemical messengers, hormones are pivotal in initiating and modulating these intricate signaling cascades based on their solubility.
Lipid-soluble hormones, such as steroid hormones, demonstrate an intracellular action. These hormones traverse cell membranes due to their lipid nature. Once inside the target cell, they...

Yeast Signaling

Yeast Signaling

Yeasts are single-celled organisms, but unlike bacteria, they are eukaryotes (cells with a nucleus). Cell signaling in yeast is similar to signaling in other eukaryotic cells. A ligand, such as a protein or a small molecule released from a yeast cell, attaches to a receptor on the cell surface. The binding stimulates second-messenger kinases to activate or inactivate transcription factors that further regulate gene expression. Many of the yeast intracellular signaling cascades have similar...

Types of Hormones

Types of Hormones

Hormones can be classified into three main types based on their chemical structures: steroids, peptides, and amines. Their actions are mediated by the specific receptors they bind to on target cells.

Types of Hormones

Types of Hormones

Hormones are classified into four main groups: steroids, eicosanoids, amino acid-based derivatives, and peptide hormones.
Steroids and eicosanoids fall under the category of lipid-soluble hormones. Steroids are derived from cholesterol and feature four interconnected carbon rings with variable side chains. Notable examples include estradiol from ovaries and testosterone from testes, exemplifying the critical roles of these lipid-soluble hormones in reproductive physiology. Eicosanoids, derived...

Internal Receptors

Internal Receptors

Many cellular signals are hydrophilic and therefore cannot pass through the plasma membrane. However, small or hydrophobic signaling molecules can cross the hydrophobic core of the plasma membrane and bind to internal, or intracellular, receptors that reside within the cell. Many mammalian steroid hormones use this mechanism of cell signaling, as does nitric oxide (NO) gas.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

How scientists can contribute to the social movements essential to protecting climate and nature.

npj climate action·2025

Same author

Actions speak louder than words: the case for responsible scientific activism in an era of planetary emergency.

Royal Society open science·2024

Same author

Rapid evidence review to inform safe return to campus in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Wellcome open research·2021

Same author

Pheromones: Stink Fights in Lemurs.

Current biology : CB·2020

Same author

Reproducible research into human chemical communication by cues and pheromones: learning from psychology's renaissance.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2020

Same author

The search for human pheromones: the lost decades and the necessity of returning to first principles.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2015

Same journal

A global response contributes to tissue size robustness upon local induction of apoptosis.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Prebilaterian origin of monoaminergic signaling.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

CLASP-dependent microtubule stabilization generates microtubule-based protrusive forces during Drosophila epithelial morphogenesis.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Pigeons make slow, divergent eye movements during flight and large, convergent eye movements when landing.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Temperature signals drive grass secondary cell wall thickening.

Current biology : CB·2026

Same journal

Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress.

Current biology : CB·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Examining Volatile Sex Pheromone Influence on Male C. elegans Behavior

Author Spotlight: Examining Volatile Sex Pheromone Influence on Male C. elegans Behavior

Published on: August 9, 2024

Pheromones.

Tristram D Wyatt¹

¹Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.

Current Biology : CB

|August 9, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Chemical signals called pheromones mediate diverse behaviors across the animal kingdom. Their evolutionary pathways and underlying genetic mechanisms are increasingly understood in model organisms.

More Related Videos

Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Published on: February 13, 2021

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

Published on: July 17, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Author Spotlight: Examining Volatile Sex Pheromone Influence on Male C. elegans Behavior

Author Spotlight: Examining Volatile Sex Pheromone Influence on Male C. elegans Behavior

Published on: August 9, 2024

Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals

Published on: February 13, 2021

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

The Identification of Sea Lamprey Pheromones Using Bioassay-Guided Fractionation

Published on: July 17, 2018

Area of Science:

Chemical ecology
Evolutionary biology
Neuroethology

Background:

Pheromones are species-specific chemical signals used in intraspecific communication.
Darwin hypothesized sexual selection influenced the evolution of olfactory cues in reproduction.
Pheromonal communication is widespread across diverse animal taxa and ecological contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the diverse roles and evolutionary significance of pheromones.
To highlight advancements in dissecting pheromone signaling systems in model organisms.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on pheromone function and evolution.
Examples from model organisms (moths, Drosophila, C. elegans, M. musculus) illustrating genetic dissection of signaling pathways.

Main Results:

Pheromones regulate a broad spectrum of behaviors beyond reproduction, including social organization and alarm signaling.
Genetic and neural mechanisms underlying pheromone production, reception, and processing are being elucidated in model systems.

Conclusions:

Pheromones represent a fundamental mode of animal communication with significant evolutionary implications.
Model organisms provide powerful tools for understanding the genetic and neural underpinnings of complex chemical communication systems.