Functional analysis of the guanylyl cyclase type D signaling system in the olfactory epithelium

The mammalian olfactory system recognizes a wide range of chemical stimuli. The majority of cells in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) use a cAMP-mediated signaling system to transduce odor signals. However, a subset of MOE neurons instead expresses components of a cGMP signaling cascade, including the receptor guanylyl cyclase GC-D and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit CNGA3. We used a combination of molecular biological, physiological, and imaging approaches to characterize this neuronal population. Neurons expressing GC-D show excitatory responses to the natriuretic peptide hormones uroguanylin and guanylin, as well as to stimuli present in urine, that are dependent on both GC-D and CNGA3. Though all GC-D-expressing neurons are highly sensitive to these stimuli, individual cells are differentially tuned to either one or both of the peptides. Together, these findings suggest that neurons expressing GC-D are part of a specialized olfactory subsystem that is responsive to semiochemicals.