TIRINDELLI Roberto

My research group studies, at a molecular level, the signal transduction events underlying the olfactory and pheromonal communication.

Pheromonal communication is the most convenient way to transfer information regarding gender and social status in animals of the same species with the holistic goal of sustaining reproduction. This type of information exchange is based on pheromones, molecules often chemically unrelated, that are contained in body fluids like urine, sweat, specialized exocrine glands, and mucous secretions of genitals. So profound is the relevance of pheromones over the evolutionary process that a specific peripheral organ devoted to their recognition, namely the vomeronasal organ of Jacobson, and a related central pathway arose in most vertebrate species. Although the vomeronasal system is well developed in reptiles and amphibians, most mammals strongly rely on pheromonal communication.
In my laboratory , the behavioral, physiological, and molecular aspects of pheromone detection in mammals are investigated. In particular, questions are addressed to unravel the complex organization of the transduction molecules that underlie pheromone detection and signal transmission from vomeronasal neurons to the higher centres of the brain.