The sick sense is in the nose

Ivan Rodriguez, PhD (University of Geneva)

Sociability offers many advantages, although a major drawback is the increased risk of exposure to contagious pathogens, like parasites, viruses, or bacteria. Social species have evolved various behavioral strategies reducing the probability of pathogen exposure. We found that in rodents, preference toward healthy individuals was dependent on the olfactory system, more precisely on vomeronasal function. We discovered a novel family of vomeronasal sensors, termed formyl-peptide receptors, that respond to disease-related ligands. This receptor family, initially expressed in immune cells during evolution, acquired neuronal specificity in the rodent lineage via two gene shuffling events. This thus corresponds to a switch from sensing pathogens inside the organism to sensing the outside world through the nose, and represents a striking case of neofunctionalization.

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