title: Elevated Cytosolic Cl- Concentrations in Dendritic Knobs of Mouse Vomeronasal Sensory Neurons.
abstract: In rodents, the vomeronasal system controls social and sexual behavior. However, several mechanistic aspects of sensory signaling in the vomeronasal organ remain unclear. Here, we investigate the biophysical basis of a recently proposed vomeronasal signal transduction component-a Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) current. As the physiological role of such a current is a direct function of the Cl(-) equilibrium potential, we determined the intracellular Cl(-) concentration in dendritic knobs of vomeronasal neurons. Quantitative fluorescence lifetime imaging of a Cl(-)-sensitive dye at the apical surface of the intact vomeronasal neuroepithelium revealed increased cytosolic Cl(-) levels in dendritic knobs, a substantially lower Cl(-) concentration in vomeronasal sustentacular cells, and an apparent Cl(-) gradient in vomeronasal neurons along their dendritic apicobasal axis. Together, our data provide a biophysical basis for sensory signal amplification in vomeronasal neuron microvilli by opening Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Complex Systems, Cellular Biophysics (ICS-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Untiet
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Ximena
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ibarra-Soria
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Andrade
authors.affiliation: Institute of Complex Systems, Cellular Biophysics (ICS-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stricker
authors.affiliation: Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Jena, Drackendorfer Straße 1, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, D-07743 Jena, Germany and.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK, Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Darren W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Complex Systems, Cellular Biophysics (ICS-4), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Leo-Brandt-Straße, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gensch
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, D-52074 Aachen, Germany, m.spehr@sensorik.rwth-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spehr
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D002712:Chlorides / Q000032:analysis*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D003712:Dendrites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D019147:Vomeronasal Organ / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018118:Chloride Channels; D002712:Chlorides; D002118:Calcium
keywords: accessory olfactory system; cytosolic chloride concentration; fluorescence lifetime imaging; signal transduction; vomeronasal organ