Rapid deposition of subcutaneous areolar tissue in response to sexual stimulation in mice

Abstract

Many of the reproductive processes of house mice are regulated exteroceptively by social cues¹. Puberty in a female mouse, for example, is a labile event that can be accelerated markedly if the young female is housed with an adult male². The relevant male stimuli in this case are a combination of pheromonal and tactile cues^3–5. The female's responses to these cues include an immediate, sequential release of gonadotropic and ovarian hormones⁶, which in turn evoke a series of predictable changes in most of the female's reproductive tissues and culminate in the pubertal ovulation. I report here an unexpected consequence of exposing a young female mouse to a male, namely an intense response of a non-reproductive tissue. Specifically, young female mice experience a rapid thickening of their subcutaneous areolar tissue when they are exposed to males. The proximal cause of this response seems to be largely, but not exclusively, an enhanced secretion of ovarian oestrogen.