ドロソフィラの味覚受容体と嗅覚受容体候補をコードする化学感知遺伝子ファミリー
1Department of Biochemistry and, Molecular Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 701 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Cell
|March 21, 2001
まとめ
研究者らはフルーツハエに新しい味覚受容体 (GRs) を発見し,味覚と嗅覚の両方のニューロンで機能することを示しました. これは,ハエの脳が感覚情報をどのように処理するかを明らかにします.
科学分野:
- 神経科学は神経科学である.
- 遺伝学 遺伝学とは
- 分子生物学は分子生物学である.
背景:
- 候補味覚受容体 (GRs) の新しいファミリーは,ドロソフィラ菌で特定されました.
- これらのGRの機能と神経投影を理解することは,化学感覚を解読する上で極めて重要です.
研究 の 目的:
- ドロソフィラの新しい候補味覚受容体 (GRs) の発現パターンを調査する.
- 味覚と嗅覚の神経細胞におけるこれらのGRの役割を決定する.
- これらのGRを発現するニューロンの中枢神経系投影をマッピングする.
主な方法:
- 遺伝子発現を検査するために,in situ ハイブリダイゼーションを行います.
- 表現パターンを検証するためのトランスゲン実験.
- 幼虫の脳の化学感知性ニューロン投影の可視化.
主要な成果:
- 新型GRは,成体および幼虫のドロソフィラの味覚神経と嗅覚神経の両方で発現しています.
- これらのGRは,嗅覚受容体と味覚受容体として機能する可能性があります.
- 異なるGRを発現するニューロンは,アンテナ葉と食道下部のギャングリオン内の異なる領域に発射されます.
結論:
- 特定されたGR遺伝子ファミリーは,多様な化学感知認識において重要な役割を果たしています.
- この研究は,ドロソフィラの脳における味覚情報表現の初期的な地図を提供します.
- 発見は,昆虫の感覚処理の複雑さについての洞察を提供します.
関連する概念動画
Gustation
Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.
Olfaction
The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...
Sensory organs,...
Taste Buds and Receptors
Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...
The Physiology of Taste
The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the diffusion of...
Tactile and Chemical Senses
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...


