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Sci. STKE, 12 July 2005
Vol. 2005, Issue 292, p. tw261
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2922005tw261]

EDITORS' CHOICE

PHEROMONES Sensing Friend or Foe

Ants secrete and recognize specific blends of hydrocarbons in the cuticle, which enables them to display aggressive behavior toward non-nestmates. This identification process is thought to occur at a higher neural level. Ozaki et al. have found chemosensory sensilla in the ant antenna that respond to cuticle hydrocarbon blends from non-nestmates and have identified a protein that may carry the compounds to sensory receptors in the sensilla. This finding suggests that chemical information is also processed peripherally.

M. Ozaki, A. Wada-Katsumata, K. Fujikawa, M. Iwasaki, F. Yokohari, Y. Satoji, T. Nisimura, R. Yamaoka, Ant nestmate and non-nestmate discrimination by a chemosensory sensillum. Science 309, 311-314 (2005). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: Sensing Friend or Foe. Sci. STKE 2005, tw261 (2005).

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