Patrick Pfister, Benjamin C Smith, Barry J Evans, Jessica H Brann, Casey Trimmer, Mushhood Sheikh, Randy Arroyave, Gautam Reddy, Hyo-Young Jeong, Daniel A Raps, Zita Peterlin, Massimo Vergassola, Matthew E Rogers
Most natural odors are complex mixtures of volatile components, competing to bind odorant receptors (ORs) expressed in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of the nose. To date, surprisingly little is known about how OR antagonism shapes neuronal representations in the detection layer of the olfactory system. Here, we investigated its prevalence, the degree to which it disrupts OR ensemble activity, and its conservation across phylogenetically related ORs. Calcium imaging microscopy of dissociated OSNs revealed significant inhibition, often complete attenuation, of responses to indole-a commonly occurring volatile associated with both floral and fecal odors-by a set of 36 tested odorants...
May 23, 2020: Current Biology: CB