title: Chemo- and thermosensory responsiveness of Grueneberg ganglion neurons relies on cyclic guanosine monophosphate signaling elements.
abstract: Neurons of the Grueneberg ganglion (GG) in the anterior nasal region of mouse pups respond to cool temperatures and to a small set of odorants. While the thermosensory reactivity appears to be mediated by elements of a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) cascade, the molecular mechanisms underlying the odor-induced responses are unclear. Since odor-responsive GG cells are endowed with elements of a cGMP pathway, specifically the transmembrane guanylyl cyclase subtype GC-G and the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel CNGA3, the possibility was explored whether these cGMP signaling elements may also be involved in chemosensory GG responses. Experiments with transgenic mice deficient for GC-G or CNGA3 revealed that GG responsiveness to given odorants was significantly diminished in these knockout animals. These findings suggest that a cGMP cascade may be important for both olfactory and thermosensory signaling in the GG. However, in contrast to the thermosensory reactivity, which did not decline over time, the chemosensory response underwent adaptation upon extended stimulation, suggesting that the two transduction processes only partially overlap.
authors: Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors: Katharina
authors: K
authors: Mamasuew
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Hofmann
authors: Verena
authors: V
authors: Kretzschmann
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Biel
authors: Ruey-Bing
authors: RB
authors: Yang
authors: Heinz
authors: H
authors: Breer
authors: Joerg
authors: J
authors: Fleischer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D045888:Ganglion Cysts / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D006152:Cyclic GMP