Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42012846›Full record

ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2026

A sensory system for mating in octopus.

Pablo S Villar, Hao Jiang, Tatiana Shugaeva, Emma L Berdan, Arpita Kulkarni, Makoto Hiroi, Giovanni Masucci, Sam Reiter, Erik Lindahl, Rebecca J Howard and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Pablo S Villar *Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3462-8798
Hao Jiang *Department of Neurobiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0911-7307
Tatiana ShugaevaDepartment of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.ORCID 0009-0001-8147-0762
Emma L BerdanBioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6435-4604
Arpita KulkarniSingle Cell Core, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0775-8044
Makoto HiroiComputational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-0136-5891
Giovanni MasucciComputational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-8942-1711
Sam ReiterComputational Neuroethology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-6879-663X
Erik LindahlDepartment of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-2734-2794
Rebecca J HowardDepartment of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-2049-3378
Ryan E HibbsDepartment of Neurobiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4283-1147
Nicholas W BellonoDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0829-9436

Funding

Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM: Equipment SupplementR24GM154185 · NIGMS · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · PI James E Evans, CLAUDIA SUSANA LOPEZ · 2024 to 2026
$21.5M
Structural Basis for Sensory Receptor FunctionR01NS129060 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Nicholas Bellono, Ryan E Hibbs · 2022 to 2026
$2.9M
Molecular Mechanisms of Integrative Signal TransductionR35GM142697 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI Nicholas Bellono · 2021 to 2026
$2.6M
NIGMS NIH HHS R24 GM154185NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM142697NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS129060
6 · The paper itself

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.

Indexed as

OctopodiformesProgesteroneSense OrgansSexual Behavior, AnimalAnimalsBiological EvolutionFemaleMaleOviductsReceptors, ProgesteroneProgesteroneReceptors, Progesterone

Identifiers

PMID42012846
PMCPMC13355414

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.