Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Flash Photolysis of Caged Compounds in the Cilia of Olfactory Sensory Neurons
Published on: October 29, 2011
Cyclic AMP-gated cation channels of olfactory receptor neurons
1Section of Neurobiology, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
Abstract:
Odor-induced electrical activity in vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons is, at least in part, the result of the direct cyclic AMP-dependent activation of a nonselective cation channel. Single-channel recordings from extraciliary regions of isolated salamander olfactory receptor neurons have greatly improved our knowledge about distinctive properties of the cAMP-gated channel such as channel kinetics, modulation through divalent cations, and pharmacology. Because of the central role of these channels in the transduction cascade, these efforts have led to a better understanding of the physiology of olfactory transduction.
Related Concept Videos
Olfaction
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
The olfactory...

