Reisert, J. (2010) Origin of basal activity in mammalian olfactory receptor neurons. Journal of General Physiology, Vol. 136, Issue 5, pages 529-540. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201010528

Origin of basal activity in mammalian olfactory receptor neurons (Reisert, 2010)

Inverse agonists reduce the basal activity of olfactory receptors, inducing inhibitory responses that include the blockage of cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels. This phenomenon is uniquely observed in olfactory receptors that inherently display basal activity.

University of California, Berkeley

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The olfactory receptor neurons are the major component in the olfactory sensory system. The olfactory receptor neuron is a bipolar neuron, the cell body is embedded in the nasal chamber and within the olfactory epithelium. Its nonmyelinated axon transduces the signal to the olfactory bulb without discontinuity.

Olfactory receptor neurons

Of the 302 neurons in the C. elegans nervous system, 14 have been characterized as chemosensory, or olfactory, neurons that detect volatile odorants. Each type of chemosensory neuron is tuned to a specific odorant or set of odorants. For example, the AWA olfactory neurons are activated in reaction to diacetyl, thiazoles, and pyrazine. A single olfactory neuron expresses multiple types of olfactory receptors. Researchers test C. elegans via a chemotaxis assay to characterize the different olfactory receptors and their respective odorants. As an example, Sengupta et al (1996) matched the olfactory receptor gene “odr-10” specifically to diacetyl, and therefore to the AWA olfactory neuron.

C. elegans and olfaction

Getchell, T. (1986). Functional Properties of Vertebrate Olfactory Receptor Neurons. Physiological Reviews, Vol. 66, No. 3.

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