An accessory sex gland aggression-promoting chemosignal in male mice

The present study investigated male murine accessory sex glands as potential sources of a urinary aggression-promoting chemosignal. Experiments 1-4 were designed to determine whether the removal of the following glands would eliminate voided urine chemosignal activity: vesicular and coagulating glands, Cowper's gland, prostate gland, or preputial gland. The findings indicate that only preputialectomy eliminated the aggression-promoting properties of voided urine, which provides evidence that this gland is a necessary condition for chemo-activity. The efficacy of the preputial gland as sufficient for chemosignal production was examined in Experiment 5. Urine from males that had an intact preputial but removed vesicular, coagulating, Cowper's, and prostate glands was assessed and shown to possess the chemocue. It was concluded that the presence of a functional preputial gland is a necessary and sufficient condition for providing an accessory sex gland aggression-promoting chemosignal.