title: A Sensor for Low Environmental Oxygen in the Mouse Main Olfactory Epithelium.
abstract: Sensing the level of oxygen in the external and internal environments is essential for survival. Organisms have evolved multiple mechanisms to sense oxygen. No function in oxygen sensing has been attributed to any mammalian olfactory system. Here, we demonstrate that low environmental oxygen directly activates a subpopulation of sensory neurons in the mouse main olfactory epithelium. These neurons express the soluble guanylate cyclase Gucy1b2 and the cation channel Trpc2. Low oxygen induces calcium influx in these neurons, and Gucy1b2 and Trpc2 are required for these responses. In vivo exposure of a mouse to low environmental oxygen causes Gucy1b2-dependent activation of olfactory bulb neurons in the vicinity of the glomeruli formed by axons of Gucy1b2+ sensory neurons. Low environmental oxygen also induces conditioned place aversion, for which Gucy1b2 and Trpc2 are required. We propose that this chemosensory function enables a mouse to rapidly assess the oxygen level in the external environment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katherin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bleymehl
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anabel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omura
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreno-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Macías
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Zhaodai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Randall S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Trese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leinders-Zufall
authors.affiliation: Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, 66421 Homburg, Germany. Electronic address: frank.zufall@uks.eu.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zufall
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic address: peter.mombaerts@gen.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mombaerts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071756:Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C000605670:Gucy1b2 protein, mouse; D050052:TRPC Cation Channels; C491858:Trpc2 protein, mouse; D000071756:Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase; D010100:Oxygen