title: Characteristics of odorant elicited calcium fluxes in acutely-isolated chick olfactory neurons.
abstract: To understand avian olfaction, it is important to characterize the peripheral olfactory system of a representative bird species. This study determined the functional properties of olfactory receptor neurons of the chicken olfactory epithelium. Individual neurons were acutely isolated from embryonic day-18 to newborn chicks by dissection and enzymatic dissociation. We tested single olfactory neurons with behaviorally relevant odorant mixtures and measured their responses using ratiometric calcium imaging; techniques used in this study were identical to those used in other studies of olfaction in other vertebrate species. Chick olfactory neurons displayed properties similar to those found in other vertebrates: they responded to odorant stimuli with either decreases or increases in intracellular calcium, calcium increases were mediated by a calcium influx, and responses were reversibly inhibited by 100 microM L: -cis-diltiazem, 1 mM Neomycin, and 20 microM U73122, which are biochemical inhibitors of second messenger signaling. In addition, some cells showed a complex pattern of responses, with different odorant mixtures eliciting increases or decreases in calcium in the same cell. It appears that there are common features of odorant signaling shared by a variety of vertebrate species, as well as features that may be peculiar to chickens.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510, USA.
authors.forename: Yewah
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wirkus
authors.forename: Diedra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Amendola
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomez
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens; D004110:Diltiazem / Q000494:pharmacology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004963:Estrenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016257:Fura-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009355:Neomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D009812:Odorants; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000439:Pentanols / Q000494:pharmacology; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004963:Estrenes; D000439:Pentanols; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; C060229:1-(6-((3-methoxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-yl)amino)hexyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione; C005716:amyl acetate; D004110:Diltiazem; D009355:Neomycin; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2