Effects of cGMP and sodium nitroprusside on odor responses in turtle olfactory sensory neurons

The effects of cGMP and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on odor responses in isolated turtle olfactory neurons were examined. The inward current induced by dialysis of a mixture of 1 mM cAMP and 1 mM cGMP was similar to that induced by dialysis of 1 mM cAMP or 1 mM cGMP alone. After the neurons were desensitized by the application of 1 mM cGMP, 3 mM 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP, a membrane-permeable cAMP analog, did not elicit any current, indicating that both cAMP and cGMP activated the same channel. Extracellular application of SNP, a nitric oxide (NO) donor, evoked inward currents in a dose-dependent manner. However, application of SNP did not induce any currents after desensitization of the cGMP-induced currents, suggesting that SNP-induced currents are mediated via the cGMP-dependent pathway. Application of the cAMP-producing odorants to the neurons induced a large inward current even after neurons were desensitized to a high concentration of cGMP or SNP. These results suggest that the transduction pathway independent of cAMP, cGMP, and NO also contributes to the generation of odor responses in addition to the cAMP-dependent pathway.