In mammals, the vomeronasal organ, which detects phermones, resides in a blind-ended pouch within the septum o9f the nose. Vomeronasal organ-derived signals bypass higher cognitive centers and are processed directly in regions of the amygdala and hypothalamus, which have been implicated in the regulation of innate behavior, reproductive physiology, and other neuroendocrine responses. ZVNR5 encodes a human vomeronasal receptor.
HUMAN VOMERONASAL RECEPTOR-5