You are investigating the function of a pheromone receptor found in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of mice.You hypothesize that when pheromones produced by a female mouse bind to the VNO receptors of a male mouse, the binding stimulates mating behavior.You test your hypothesis by doing a knockout experiment, silencing a gene needed for the VNO receptor to work.When you expose the knockout male mouse to a female mouse, the knockout mouse mates with the female.When you expose the same knockout male mouse to a male mouse, the knockout mouse tries to mate with the male.When you test a normal male mouse under the same situations, the male mates with the female, but reacts aggressively toward the male.What conclusion can you draw from these results?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The VNO receptors are necessary for gender identification, as evidenced by the knockout mouse's inability to distinguish between male and female mice, leading to attempts to mate with both, unlike the normal male mouse which displayed distinct behaviors towards each gender.

You Are Investigating the Function of a Pheromone Receptor Found