The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) has become a model species in the study of bile acid production and release into the environment where these compounds function as intraspecific chemical signals. Throughout the later stages of their life history, sea lampreys have been shown to rely upon pheromone communication to mediate reproduction. Laboratory and stream behavioral bioassays have implicated 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) as a lamprey mating pheromone, but the full function of this bile alcohol derivative remains to be elucidated. Further, the biosynthesis, regulation, and release of 3kPZS and other putative components of the pheromone remain only partially characterized. In Chapter 1 of this thesis, I observed the behaviors of migratory females to the presence of 3kPZS in streams across a typical migratory season. In Chapter 2, the synthesis, transport, and release of several steroid-derived compounds in adult male sea lampreys were further examined using analytical chemistry and molecular biology-based approaches in adult males. The data presented here further characterize the male mating pheromone in sea lamprey, contribute to the understanding of pheromone communication in vertebrates, and provide implications for controlling the invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes.
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