Research Topics
Transduction mechanisms in olfactory receptor neurons
Knobs & cilia of ORNs.
Amino acids are known water-borne olfactory stimuli that elicit responses in ORNs of larval Xenopus laevis. The employment of pharmacological agents activating the cAMP pathway showed that ORNs sensitive to amino acids do not possess the cAMP transduction cascade. As yet we do not know which second messenger pathway(s) are involved in the amino acid transduction, but we are currently working on it. On the other hand, a substantial number of ORNs possess the well described cAMP transduction pathway. These two subpopulations of ORNs project into different zones of the OB.