Individual Variation in 3-Methylbutanal: A Putative Link between Human Leukocyte Antigen and Skin Microflora (original) (raw)

Abstract

The human derma emits volatile compounds whose interaction with a receiver’s olfactory sensory system may affect individual recognition and mating preferences. Studies suggest that both genes and environmental factors determine characteristic odor of an individual. We used solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify 3-methylbutanal in human axillary odor; we showed that the abundance of this volatile compound varies significantly among individuals and demonstrated that its formation in vitro may be influenced by interaction between human leukocyte antigen peptide and dermal microflora.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Paul Miller and Daniel Farrelly for assistance with the in vivo experiment, Dr. Catherine Dreanno and Yashawant Kumar for assistance with the in vitro experiment, and Dr. George Wake for comments. This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust and by ARO grant DAAD19-03-1-0215. With respect to the ARO grant, opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. School of Marine Science and Technology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
   Sergey U. Savelev, Huitu Wang & Anthony S. Clare
2. Evolutionary Biology Group, School of Clinical Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
   Huitu Wang, L. Morris Gosling & Marion Petrie
3. School of Biology and Psychology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
   Sergey U. Savelev, Sanjay Antony-Babu, Michael Goodfellow, Anthony G. O’Donnell & Alan C. Ward
4. School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK
   S. Craig Roberts

Authors

1. Sergey U. Savelev
2. Sanjay Antony-Babu
3. S. Craig Roberts
4. Huitu Wang
5. Anthony S. Clare
6. L. Morris Gosling
7. Marion Petrie
8. Michael Goodfellow
9. Anthony G. O’Donnell
10. Alan C. Ward

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Correspondence toSergey U. Savelev.

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Savelev, S.U., Antony-Babu, S., Roberts, S.C. et al. Individual Variation in 3-Methylbutanal: A Putative Link between Human Leukocyte Antigen and Skin Microflora.J Chem Ecol 34, 1253–1257 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9524-1

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• Received: 03 October 2006
• Revised: 01 May 2008
• Accepted: 07 July 2008
• Published: 31 July 2008
• Issue date: September 2008
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-008-9524-1

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