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Mechanisms of the transfer of chemical signals in field mice of the genus Apodemus
Havrdová, Leona ; Stopková, Romana (advisor) ; Vošlajerová, Barbora (referee)
Proteins from the lipocalin family play significant roles during the transport of chemical signals. These globular proteins (molecular mass: 17,7 - 21,7 kDa) are able to bind a wide spectrum of volatile ligands. Since they decay continuously, the scent impact is prolonged. Major urinary proteins (MUPs) are lipocalins, typically found in the urine and used during olfactory communication in the house mouse. But the urine is not the only source of chemical signals. Many species of mammals perform selfgrooming - a technique in which saliva is transported into the fur. The goal of the thesis is to identify main proteins that are involved in chemical communication by selected species of the genus Apodemus, and to discover the source of production (i.e. saliva or urine). The Experion capillary electrophoresis system was used to confirm the absence of lipocalins in the urine in two Apodemus species (A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus). Furthermore, a lot of lipocalins is present in the saliva of above-mentioned species. The quantity and types of salivary lipocalins was identified by 2D electrophoresis along with mass spectrometry analyses (MALDI MS/MS) in three species of the genus Apodemus (A. uralensis, A. sylvaticus and A. flavicollis). The conclusion of this inter-specific comparison suggests, that sociality...
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The role of caudal organ in chemical communication in field mice of the genus Apodemus
Obstová, Lucie ; Stopka, Pavel (advisor) ; Petrák, Jiří (referee)
This thesis deals with the chemical communication of wood mouse of genus Apodemus with a focus on the special sebaceous gland on the ventral side of the tail - the caudal organ. Role of the caudal organ in chemical communication is unclear. To illustrate the function of the sebaceous glands, I decided to use metods of 454 pyrosequencing, proteomic analysis and qPCR. I created a database of transcriptionally active genes of caudal organ using 454 pyrosequencing. In proteomic analysis, I focused on proteins with a molecular weight 14-18kDa to verify the presence of the lipocalins, proteins involved in chemical communication. I compared the relative mRNA abundance of selected genes between individuals of the opposite sex using qPCR. In my research, I found that the caudal organ is active organ and caudal organ could participate in chemical communication. I detected a different relative mRNA abundance of genes in males and females at the mRNA level, which could play a role in differences in development of caudal organ between individuals of the opposite sex. Finally, I suggested possible ways of using the caudal organ in the chemical communication in wood mouse genus Apodemus from the obtained results. Key words: caudal organ, Apodemus, chemical communication, FABP5, Scd1
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Choice of perfumes and their interaction with body odour
Gwužďová, Markéta ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Martinec Nováková, Lenka (referee)
The traditional assumption that perfumes are used only for masking of the body odour was doubted by the results of recent researches. In spite of the fact that the biological role of human body odour is very important, it is likely that perfumes are not in conflict with the body odour but there is mutual cooperation. Individuals could choose the scent which goes with their body odour instead of hiding it. In the theoretical part of this thesis I describe a dual inheritance theory, which is a basic concept for our research. We have been concerned with the interaction between biological effects of body odour and social effects of perfumes. Moreover, we have worked on the assumption that the body odour of relatives is similar. We have tested if people are better in their choice of the appropriate perfume for their relatives than for anyone else, in this case partners. Which perfume fits into which body odour was assessed by the independent evaluators of opposite sex because one of the main objectives of chemical signalling is to attract a potential partner. Surprisingly, the results of our research have shown that in the case of couples, the samples of the body odour and perfumes chosen by female partners were slightly better evaluated than the perfumes chosen by men themselves. Moreover, there were...
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16-androstenes Anosmia in Men
Vondrová, Marta ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Martinec Nováková, Lenka (referee)
16-androstenes Anosmia in Men 16-androstens are compounds of steroid character which are secreted to the skin as part of apocrine glands secrets and they participate in creating body odor. It was found that androstenes influence affective state and psychophysiological reactions. The effect of androstenes can be also found on subliminal level. However, it has not yet been tested whether individuals with specific anosmia could also be influenced this way. Specific anosmia is described as an individual's incapability of conscious detection of particular odor while the detection of other compounds remains unaffected. The aim of the thesis is to test whether specifically anosmic individuals can be influenced by compounds to which they are anosmic to. This hypothesis is based on research of sensitization. Previous research indicates that olfactory perception may be of larger plasticity than thought. The theoretical part focuses on critical analysis of androstenes and research on specific anosmia. This field contains topics such as influence of chemical structure on androstenes perception, genetic influences, sensitization, functions of androstenes in interpersonal interactions and research on brain imagining. The experimental part focused on measuring subjective ratings of mood and psychophysiological...
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The effect of caloric intake and aromatic substances on the human body odour quality
Fialová, Jitka ; Havlíček, Jan (advisor) ; Martinec Nováková, Lenka (referee)
Previous work has shown that mate choice is in part affected by cues associated with quality and condition of potential mate. These cues could be based on visual characteristics or as shown recently on chemical cues. There is growing evidence which suggest that body odour plays relatively significant role in mate choice. Moreover, body odour is to some extent affected by ingested diet. Therefore, we focused on the effect of caloric restriction and garlic consumption on axilary odour. Our results suggest that restoration of food intake improve body odour in terms of pleasantness and attractiveness (probably as a consequence of recommended specific diet), but during caloric restriction it is rated lower. The garlic consumption improves hedonic assessment of body odour. This effect could be ascribed to his well-known health effects. Our findings thus confirm assumption that ingested diet affects body odour and these changes in odour attractiveness could serve as a cue to individual condition and quality.
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