Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Alters the Expression of Male Mouse Scent Proteins



Oldstone, Michael BA, Ware, Brian C, Davidson, Amanda, Prescott, Mark C, Beynon, Robert J ORCID: 0000-0003-0857-495X and Hurst, Jane L ORCID: 0000-0002-3728-9624
(2021) Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Alters the Expression of Male Mouse Scent Proteins. VIRUSES-BASEL, 13 (6). 1180-.

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Abstract

Mature male mice produce a particularly high concentration of major urinary proteins (MUPs) in their scent marks that provide identity and status information to conspecifics. Darcin (MUP20) is inherently attractive to females and, by inducing rapid associative learning, leads to specific attraction to the individual male's odour and location. Other polymorphic central MUPs, produced at much higher abundance, bind volatile ligands that are slowly released from a male's scent marks, forming the male's individual odour that females learn. Here, we show that infection of C57BL/6 males with LCMV WE variants (v2.2 or v54) alters MUP expression according to a male's infection status and ability to clear the virus. MUP output is substantially reduced during acute adult infection with LCMV WE v2.2 and when males are persistently infected with LCMV WE v2.2 or v54. Infection differentially alters expression of darcin and, particularly, suppresses expression of a male's central MUP signature. However, following clearance of acute v2.2 infection through a robust virus-specific CD8 cytotoxic T cell response that leads to immunity to the virus, males regain their normal mature male MUP pattern and exhibit enhanced MUP output by 30 days post-infection relative to uninfected controls. We discuss the likely impact of these changes in male MUP signals on female attraction and mate selection. As LCMV infection during pregnancy can substantially reduce embryo survival and lead to lifelong infection in surviving offspring, we speculate that females use LCMV-induced changes in MUP expression both to avoid direct infection from a male and to select mates able to develop immunity to local variants that will be inherited by their offspring.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: pheromones, MUPs, darcin, sex, virus, CTL, selection
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 05 Jul 2021 13:29
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:37
DOI: 10.3390/v13061180
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3128784