Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

High-gain, low-noise amplification in olfactory transduction

S J Kleene1

  • 1Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0521, USA. steve@syrano.acb.uc.edu

Biophysical Journal
|August 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Vertebrate olfactory transduction uses a two-part receptor current system to amplify weak stimuli with high gain and low noise. This biological mechanism enhances signal detection by utilizing ion channel gating and external cations for improved fidelity.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Single ionic channels of two Caenorhabditis elegans chemosensory neurons in native membrane.

The Journal of membrane biology·2002
Same author

Spontaneous gating of olfactory cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels.

The Journal of membrane biology·2000
Same author

Neuronal Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels--homing in on an elusive channel species.

Progress in neurobiology·2000
Same author

Both external and internal calcium reduce the sensitivity of the olfactory cyclic-nucleotide-gated channel to CAMP.

Journal of neurophysiology·1999
Same author

Noise analysis of ion channels in non-space-clamped cables: estimates of channel parameters in olfactory cilia.

Biophysical journal·1997
Same author

Persistence of the olfactory receptor current in a wide variety of extracellular environments.

Journal of neurophysiology·1996

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory receptor physiology
  • Sensory transduction mechanisms

Background:

  • Sensory systems require high-gain, low-noise amplification to detect weak stimuli.
  • Olfactory transduction in vertebrates involves complex ionic mechanisms.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for deciphering sensory perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the ionic basis of vertebrate olfactory transduction.
  • To determine if the olfactory receptor current system provides high-gain, low-noise amplification.
  • To elucidate the roles of primary and secondary receptor currents and external cations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of primary receptor current through cAMP-gated channels (Na+, Ca2+ influx).
  • Investigation of the effect of external divalent cations on current properties (mean, variance).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Characterization of the secondary depolarizing receptor current gated by Ca2+-activated Cl- channels.

    • Main Results:

    • External divalent cations enhance signal-to-noise ratio by reducing primary current mean and variance.
    • Calcium influx activates a secondary current that amplifies the primary current with minimal added noise.
    • The combined system achieves significant amplification and noise reduction.

    Conclusions:

    • Vertebrate olfactory transduction employs a dual receptor current system for efficient signal processing.
    • The interplay between ion channels and external cations optimizes the detection of olfactory stimuli.
    • This biological amplification scheme provides a robust mechanism for detecting faint odors.