Background. Pheromones are an important regulatory link of synecological contacts in numerous animal species. Chemo-signaling participates in establishing of population social structure, it regulates different types of behavior, changes hormonal state and maturation rate, etc. It also can affect the genetic material expression and integrity. Material and methods. Groups of adult males of CBA/Lac/Sto/Rap strain were exposed to volatile chemosignals (mixture of α- and β-farnesenes or 2,5-dime thylpyrazine) for 2 or 24 hours. Bone marrow cells were prepared for single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay test). Content of DNA in comet cells were analyzed. In case of 24 hours exposure bone marrow cells were fixed also for ana-telophase analysis. Results. It is shown that exposures with farnesenes or 2,5-DMP both damage genetic material of bone marrow cells. It also followed by induction of mitotic aberration frequency. Simultaneous exposure with all chemosignals does not increase damaging effect. Conclusion. Chemosignals which serve as stress-pheromones in mice decrease also the integrity of genetic material in bone marrow cells of recipients. It could be a mechanism of pheromonal impact on density and space-genetic structure of mouse populations.

Background. Long coevolution of prey and predator species of mammals creates specific mechanisms of their interaction, e. g. prey’s innate behavior aversive to the predator odor. However, little is known about genetic responses in the prey organism. We assessed genome instability of the bone marrow cells in mice affected by the cat’s odor influence, and proposed pathway of such action. Materials and methods. CBA mouse males were exposed to volatiles from adult cat urine for 2 or 24 hours. To estimate the genetic effect, ana-telophase method of chromosome aberration analysis and comet assay were used. The level of corticosterone was also measured after the exposure for 30 or 60 minutes. Results. The exposure to cat’s urine volatiles for 2 hours induced damage of DNA in bone marrow cells of the mouse males as was shown by the DNA comet analysis. The exposure for 24 hours elevated the frequency of chromosome aberrations in mitotically dividing cells at ana-telophase stage. No significant changes were found in the level of corticosterone in the peripheral blood. Conclusion. We have shown that volatile chemosignals from predator’s urine induce genomic instability in bone marrow cells of a prey. The hormonal pathway of such influence is still unknown. Intraorganismic paths leading to genome damage are discussed as well as far consequences of discovered effects.

BACKGROUND: Different stressors affect the genome integrity, but the mechanisms of such action are underexplored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bone marrow and testicular cells of CBA and CD-1 mouse males were used to estimate their genome integrity after stressor action by the comet assay. RESULTS: It is shown here that restraint and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine both increase damaged cell frequency in bone marrow as well as in testes of mouse males. For the first time the effect of immobilization and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine in testicular cells is demonstrated using the comet assay. Both stressors have similar effects in cells of both tissues analyzed. CONCLUSION: Mechanisms of the effects and possible role in microevolution are under discussion.