研究组发现，异子叶是一个双重感觉和交配器官，主题接触依赖的化学感觉黄体酮，一种保守的卵巢激素。课题组确定了孕酮的趋化反应受体，并解决了它们从祖先神经递质受体进化的结构基础，以及随后在头足类动物中的扩展和调节。这些发现揭示了感官创新塑造生殖行为的原理，并提出了感官进化如何促进生命多样化的机制。
研究人员表示，配偶识别的感觉系统维持物种边界并影响多样性。因此，揭示分子和受体如何进化以调节这一关键功能对于理解生物多样性至关重要。雄性章鱼有一种特殊的手臂，叫做“异子叶”，用来识别雌性，并引导它们的内部器官到达输卵管并输送精子。
附：英文原文
Title: A sensory system for mating in octopus
Author: Pablo S. Villar, Hao Jiang, Tatiana Shugaeva, Emma L. Berdan, Arpita Kulkarni, Makoto Hiroi, Giovanni Masucci, Sam Reiter, Erik Lindahl, Rebecca J. Howard, Ryan E. Hibbs, Nicholas W. Bellono
Issue&Volume: 2026-04-02
Abstract: Sensory systems for mate recognition maintain species boundaries and influence diversification. Thus, uncovering how molecules and receptors evolve to mediate this critical function is essential to understanding biodiversity. Male octopuses use a specialized arm called the hectocotylus to identify females and navigate their internal organs to reach the oviduct and deliver sperm. Here, we discovered that the hectocotylus is a dual sensory and mating organ that uses contact-dependent chemosensation of progesterone, a conserved ovarian hormone. We identified chemotactile receptors for progesterone and resolved the structural basis for their evolution from ancestral neurotransmitter receptors and subsequent expansion and tuning across cephalopods. These findings reveal principles by which sensory innovations shape reproductive behavior and suggest mechanisms for how sensory evolution contributes to the diversification of life.
DOI: aec9652
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec9652