2007 NOV 20 - (NewsRx.com) – According to recent research published in the journal Microscopy Research and Technique, “The enormous morphological diversity and heterogeneity of the vomeronasal system (VNS) in mammals -as well as its complete absence in some cases- complicates the extrapolation of data from one species to another, making any physiological and functional conclusions valid for the whole Mammalian Class difficult and risky to draw (see also Microscopy). Some highly-evolved macrosmatic mammals, like sheep, have been previously used in interesting behavioral studies concerning the main and accessory olfactory systems.”
“However, in this species, certain crucial morphological peculiarities have not until now been considered. Following histological, histochemical and immunohistochemical procedures, we have studied the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) of adult sheep. We have determined: (1) that all structures which classically define the VNO in mammals are present and well developed, providing the morphological basis for functional activity. (2) that, conversely, there is only a scant population of scattered mitral/tufted cells,” wrote I. Salazar and colleagues, University of Santiago.
The researchers concluded: “One morphological consequence of both details is that the strata of the AOB in adult sheep are not as sharply defined as in other species; moreover, the small number of the mitral/tufted cells in the AOB may imply that the VNS of adult sheep is not capable of functioning in the way a well-developed VNS does in other species. (3) the zone to zone projection from the apical and basal sensory epithelium of the VNO to the anterior and posterior part of the AOB, respectively, typical in rodents, lagomorphs and marsupials, is not present in adult sheep.”
Salazar and colleagues published their study in Microscopy Research and Technique (Diversity of the vomeronasal system in mammals: The singularities of the sheep model. Microscopy Research and Technique, 2007;70(8):752-762).
For additional information, contact I. Salazar, University of Santiago, Faculty Vet., Dept. of Anatomy & Animal Prod, Unit Anatomy & Embryology, Lugo 27002, Spain.
The publisher’s contact information for the journal Microscopy Research and Technique is: Wiley-Liss, Division John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA.
This article was prepared by Science Letter editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Science Letter via NewsRx.com.
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