title: Functional analysis of the guanylyl cyclase type D signaling system in the olfactory epithelium.
abstract: The mammalian olfactory system recognizes a wide range of chemical stimuli. The majority of cells in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) use a cAMP-mediated signaling system to transduce odor signals. However, a subset of MOE neurons instead expresses components of a cGMP signaling cascade, including the receptor guanylyl cyclase GC-D and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit CNGA3. We used a combination of molecular biological, physiological, and imaging approaches to characterize this neuronal population. Neurons expressing GC-D show excitatory responses to the natriuretic peptide hormones uroguanylin and guanylin, as well as to stimuli present in urine, that are dependent on both GC-D and CNGA3. Though all GC-D-expressing neurons are highly sensitive to these stimuli, individual cells are differentially tuned to either one or both of the peptides. Together, these findings suggest that neurons expressing GC-D are part of a specialized olfactory subsystem that is responsive to semiochemicals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Renee E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Cockerham
authors.forename: Trese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leinders-Zufall
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Munger
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zufall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D006162:Guanylate Cyclase
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