Vomeronasal Receptor Cell (VRC)

Vomeronasal receptor cells are specialized sensory neurons located in the vomeronasal organ. These cells are primarily responsible for detecting pheromones—chemical signals that mediate social and reproductive behaviors among conspecifics. In rodents and many other mammals with a functional VNO-AOB system, this pathway is essential for normal reproductive physiology and social communication. The vomeronasal organ—and thus functional vomeronasal receptor cells—is present in most terrestrial vertebrates except birds. In humans, adults may retain only vestigial remnants without clear evidence for functional chemosensory activity or expression of canonical VR genes.