The de-scent of sexuality: should we smell a rat?
File(s)Clive2021_Article_TheDe-ScentOfSexualityShouldWe.pdf (854.19 KB)
Published version
Author(s)
Clive, Jackson
Wisden, William
Savolainen, Vincent
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In their Target Article, Pfau, Jordan, and Breedlove (2019) proposed a connection between the transient receptor potential cation channel 2 gene (TRPC2) and same-sex sexual behavior (SSSB) in primates. This novel theory is an attractive prospect for researchers investigating sexuality in the natural world. The proposal relies on evidence from proximate mechanism studies of TRPC2 knockout (KO) experiments in mice, in which non-functional TPRC2 alters the development of an olfactory sensory structure called the vomeronasal organ (VNO), resulting in an increase of SSSB in both males and females (Axel et al., 2002; Kimchi, Xu, & Dulac, 2007). In combination with an examination of TRPC2 sequence data and evolutionary relationships across primates, Pfau et al. proposed some hypotheses for the fitness consequences of SSSB in primates. Pfau et al. speculated that primates with multi-male/multi-female societies may have evolved via improved social cohesion facilitated by an increase in SSSB, mediated by non-functional TRPC2, and/or pleiotropy between increased SSSB and reduced same-sex aggression. Here, although we support some of these ideas by providing a more complete examination of TRPC2 in primates, we also advocate greater caution when interpreting available data on SSSB.
Date Issued
2021-08-01
Date Acceptance
2019-11-18
Citation
Archives of Sexual Behavior: an interdisciplinary research journal, 2021, 50, pp.2283-2288
ISSN
0004-0002
Publisher
Springer (part of Springer Nature)
Start Page
2283
End Page
2288
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Sexual Behavior: an interdisciplinary research journal
Volume
50
Copyright Statement
© 2019 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
License URL
Subjects
Social Sciences
Psychology, Clinical
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Psychology
Social Sciences - Other Topics
VOMERONASAL ORGAN
PHEROMONE TRANSDUCTION
BEHAVIOR
COMPONENT
TRPC2
Clinical Psychology
1117 Public Health and Health Services
1699 Other Studies in Human Society
1701 Psychology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-12-05