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| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | A queen odour mediates reproductive suppression in a eusocial mammal |
| Creators: |
Khallaf, Mohammed A.  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1402-3858, Hart, Daniel W., Luo, Wenhan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5202-8855, Murad, Firdevs ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9060-2722, Cybis Pereira, Felipe ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6124-0466, Mendez-Aranda, Daniel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9668-941X, Hagenah, Nicole ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3864-2469, Rossi, Alice ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8819-9813, Bégay, Valérie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9002-4211, Okrouhlík, Jan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9935-7859, Krautwurst, Dietmar ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-8682, Ngalameno, Mungo Kisinza ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1474-7602, Ganswindt, Andre, Barker, Alison J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9103-9258, Šumbera, Radim, Knaden, Markus ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6710-1071, Pezet, Sophie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3305-3315, Woehler, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5157-9313, Hansson, Bill S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4811-1223, Bennett, Nigel C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9748-2947 and Lewin, Gary R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2890-6352
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| Abstract: | Eusociality is exceptionally rare in mammals, and its proximate mechanisms remain poorly understood. Naked mole-rats provide a striking example, with reproduction restricted to a single queen, while all other females remain infertile. Here we identify a chemical signal in queens that can regulate this reproductive hierarchy. Isopropyl myristate is a low-volatility ester that is enriched in queens and nearly absent from non-breeding animals. Isopropyl myristate is detected by peripheral and central olfactory neurons and elicits avoidance in high-ranking animals. Exposure alters levels of prolactin and progesterone in non-breeders to suppress reproduction. Daily addition of isopropyl myristate to a queenless colony prevented queen succession, whereas withdrawal triggered aggression and reproductive competition. Isopropyl myristate was also detected in breeding females of several Fukomys mole-rat species, but reaches higher levels in naked mole-rats, paralleling their extreme reproductive skew. These findings reveal a chemical cue that can mediate reproductive suppression in a mammal, linking insect and mammalian eusociality. |
| Keywords: | Animals, Naked Mole Rats |
| Source: | Nature |
| ISSN: | 0028-0836 |
| Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
| Date: | 15 July 2026 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10772-5 |
| PubMed: | View item in PubMed |
| Related to: |
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