title: The relation between stimulus and response in olfactory receptor cells of the tiger salamander.
abstract: 1. Olfactory receptor cells were isolated from the adult tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum and the current in response to odorant stimuli was measured with the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique while odorants at known concentrations were rapidly applied for controlled exposure times. 2. Three odorants, cineole, isoamyl acetate and acetophenone, were first applied at 5 x 10(-4) M. Out of forty-nine cells tested, 53% responded to one odorant only, 22% to two odorants and 25% to all three odorants. 3. The amplitude of the current in response to a given odorant concentration was found to be dependent on the duration of the odorant stimulus and reached a saturating peak value at 1.2 s of stimulus duration. 4. The current measured at the peak of the response for odorant steps of 1.2 s as a function of odorant concentration was well described by the Hill equation for the three odorants with Hill coefficients higher than 1 and K1/2 (odorant concentration needed to activate half the maximal current) ranging from 3 x 10(-6) to 9 x 10(-5) M. 5. It is concluded that olfactory receptor cells are broadly tuned and have a low apparent affinity for odorants, integrate stimulus information over time, and have a narrow dynamic range.
authors.affiliation: Instituto di Cibernetica e Biofisica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Firestein
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Picco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menini
mesh_terms: D000098:Acetophenones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000557:Ambystoma / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000077591:Eucalyptol; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008610:Menthol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D039821:Monoterpenes; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000439:Pentanols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D013729:Terpenes
chemical_list: D000098:Acetophenones; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D039821:Monoterpenes; D000439:Pentanols; D013729:Terpenes; D008610:Menthol; C038699:acetophenone; D000077591:Eucalyptol; C020377:isoamyl acetate