Volume 27, Issue 15, Pages R739-R743 (August 2017) Pheromones  Tristram D. Wyatt  Current Biology  Volume 27, Issue 15, Pages R739-R743 (August 2017) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039 Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Male tilapia sex pheromones have multiple effects. Sex pheromones in the urine of dominant male Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) deter subordinate males, attract females and prime ovulation in females. Two steroid glucuronates (5β-pregnane-3α,17α,20β-triol 3-glucuronate and its 20α-epimer) are produced in large quantities by dominants and are the most potent urinary odorants to females. They act via (a) specific and common olfactory receptor(s) on the females’ endocrine axis, stimulating production and release of 17,20β-P, the major oocyte maturation-inducing hormone in teleost fishes. This leads to the ripening of the oocytes and (likely) synchronizes spawning. (From Keller-Costa, T. et al. (2015). Chemical communication in cichlids: a mini-review. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 221, 64–74.) Current Biology 2017 27, R739-R743DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039) Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Functions of queen pheromones in social insects. This illustration features a queen ant, but it could be a queen bee, wasp, or termite. Such functions have been demonstrated experimentally in at least one species but not necessarily all taxa. Cuticular hydrocarbon queen pheromones have evolved independently in the different lineages of social Hymenoptera. Inset: main component of the queen pheromone of the ant Lasius niger, 3-methylhentriacontane. (Figure from Holman, L. (2010). Queen pheromones: the chemical crown governing insect social life. Commun. Integr. Biol. 3, 558–560 with permission from Luke Holman.) Current Biology 2017 27, R739-R743DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039) Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 Multicomponent pheromones offer species specificity. Most pheromones are a specific blend of molecules. Different corn borer moth Ostrinia species share different combinations and concentrations of six molecules. Inset: adult female European corn borer O. nubilalis. Photo: John Obermeyer, Purdue Extension Entomology. (Adapted from Lassance, J.M. et al. (2013). Functional consequences of sequence variation in the pheromone biosynthetic gene pgFAR for Ostrinia moths. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 110, 3967–3972.) Current Biology 2017 27, R739-R743DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039) Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions

Figure 4 Pheromone perception in mice. In the mouse, pheromones are processed by both its main olfactory and accessory olfactory systems as well as other chemosensory subsystems, including the septal organ (SO), and Grueneberg ganglion (GG). Chemical signatures are also processed by both the main and accessory olfactory systems. Olfactory sensory neurons (OSN) in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) project to glomeruli in the main olfactory bulb (MOB) and those expressing the same olfactory receptor converge on a single glomerulus (GL). Mitral cells (MC) extend an apical dendrite into adjacent glomeruli and extend axons to the forebrain. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSN) extend axons from the vomeronasal organ (VNO) to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). BV; blood vessel, CP; cribiform plate. (From Spehr, M. et al. (2006). Parallel processing of social signals by the mammalian main and accessory olfactory systems. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 63, 1476–1484 with permission from Springer.) Current Biology 2017 27, R739-R743DOI: (10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.039) Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions