Urinary Lipocalins in Rodenta:is there a Generic Model?

Searching for Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs) as Chemosignals in Urine of Subterranean Rodents

“…All the rodent species analyzed here discriminate between individuals on the basis of odors in urine or urogenital and/or ventral secretions that may also include some urine (in Spalax, Todrank and Heth, 1996;Heth and Todrank, 2000;in Fukomys, Heth et al, 2004;and in Spalacopus cyanus, Hagemeyer and Begall, 2006). Studies, published while our study was underway, also noted that MUPs could not convey individual identity in species in which there was no polymorphism in MUPs, as in Mus macedonicus (Robertson et al, 2007), nor in species in which the patterns of urinary lipocalins across individuals were "remarkably consistent", as in M. spretus, as well as wildcaught rats, Rattus norvegicus, and the Roborovski hamster, Phodopus roborovskii (Beynon et al, 2008).…”

“…In species lacking polymorphism in MUPs, it is still possible to posit a role for MUPs in transmitting information about reproductive readiness or dominance status by variations in the concentration of MUPs (Beynon et al, 2008). However, in species lacking MUPs altogether, like the rodent species in the present study, there must be another mechanism for disseminating information about status and identity.…”

“…mass ranges of approximately 19 kDa (Robertson et al, 2007). Aphrodisin, another member of the lipocalin superfamily, with a mass of approximately 17 kDa (Henzel et al, 1988), originally was identified in the vaginal discharge of hamsters (Singer et al, 1986(Singer et al, , 1987, but also has been found at low concentrations in the urine of hamsters (Phodopus roborovskii) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) of both sexes (Beynon et al, 2008), along with three other aphrodisin-like odor-binding proteins (Stopková et al, 2010).…”

Protein content in urine of male and female water vole (Arvicola amphibius) at the period of spring growth and sexual maturation

“…According to literature data, in rodents of different species the degree of sex dimorphism by this parameter varies considerably. Thus, in males of Microtus agrestis the urine protein excretion is 11.5-times higher than in females, in Pitymys subterraneus-5.9 times, and in Clethrionomys glareolus-in 3-12.3, while in P. roborovskii-only 0.9 times [2,21]. An essential variation of this parameter is reported in various species and even subspecies of wild mice and it is suggested that the urine protein amount and its qualitative characteristics are important for individual recognition of conspecifics and choice of sex partner [22].…”

“…Since then investigations of structure and functions of urine proteins have been performed mainly on the linear mice and rats. It was established that in the males of house mice, Mus musculus domesticus, 99% of total urine protein was represented by the group of major urine proteins (MUPs), while the major fraction in rats-by α 2u -globulin, a homolog of MUP [2]. These are relatively small proteins, of approximately 19 and 16 kDa, respectively [3][4][5].…”