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Sex pheromones of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus): Steroid studies

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Abstract

Pheromone-containing and pheromone-devoid samples of male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) urine were analyzed for the concentrations of nine steroids [dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), progesterone (P), androstenedione (A), estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), corticosterone (B), and cortisol (F)] by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Samples analyzed included native urine that had been enzymatically hydrolyzed with mixed β-glucuronidase/sulfatase. Values of the analyses were used to prepare solutions of the individual steroids for bioassay at concentrations which bracketed the urinary concentrations. Results show that only testosterone elicited a preference response in spawning-run female sea lampreys, and in concentrations three to four orders of magnitude greater than those found in active, unhydrolyzed male urine. The possibility that testosterone acts as a pheromone in this species is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monell Chemical Senses Center, University of Pennsylvania, 3500 Market Street, 19104, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Michael A. Adams, John H. Teeter, Yair Katz & Peter B. Johnsen

Authors
  1. Michael A. Adams
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  2. John H. Teeter
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  3. Yair Katz
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  4. Peter B. Johnsen
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Adams, M.A., Teeter, J.H., Katz, Y. et al. Sex pheromones of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus): Steroid studies. J Chem Ecol 13, 387–395 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01025898

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01025898

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