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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Electrophysiological Recording from Drosophila Trichoid Sensilla in Response to Odorants of Low Volatility
Published on: July 27, 2017
Insect olfaction: receptors, signal transduction, and behavior
1Department of Integrated Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.
Abstract:
The insect olfactory system is a suitable model for exploring molecular function of odorant receptors, axonal projection of olfactory receptor neurons onto secondary neurons, and the neural circuit for odor perception. Recent progress in the study of insect olfaction revealed that the heteromeric insect olfactory receptor complex forms a cation nonselective ion channel directly gated by odor or pheromone ligands independent of known G-protein signaling pathways. Despite fundamental differences in transduction machineries between insects and vertebrates, the anatomical and functional features of insect odor-coding strategy are similar and thus justify any consideration of mammalian olfaction in the study of insects. The understanding of the molecular mechanism of insect olfaction will help in the development of insect repellents for controlling insect pest and vector populations for a wide range of pathogens.
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