增强器相互作用网络作为单一嗅觉受体表达的手段
Eirene Markenscoff-Papadimitriou1, William E Allen2, Bradley M Colquitt1
1Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
Cell
|November 24, 2014
概括
研究人员发现,多个嗅觉受体 (OR) 增强剂相互作用,以确保单个OR基因的激活. 这种复杂的相互作用解释了嗅觉受体基因的精确和强大的表达.
科学领域:
- 遗传学 是一个遗传学.
- 分子生物学分子生物学
- 神经科学是一个神经科学.
背景情况:
- 嗅觉受体 (OR) 基因表达对嗅觉至关重要,但成千上万的单个OR等位基因中的精确的转录激活仍然不清楚.
- 了解OR基因调节对于破译嗅觉系统功能至关重要.
研究的目的:
- 识别和描述新的嗅觉受体增强剂.
- 研究这些增强剂在嗅觉神经元中的体内活性和调节机制.
- 阐明特定转录因子在OR基因激活中的作用.
主要方法:
- 使用表观遗传特征识别候选OR增强剂.
- 嗅觉神经元中增强剂活性的体内研究.
- 对染色体间相互作用和转录因子结合模式的分析.
- 功能性测试用于评估转录因子Bptf的作用.
主要成果:
- 确定了大量的假定OR增强剂,其中许多具有独特的表观遗传标记.
- 这些增强剂参与了与OR转录相关的广泛的染色体间相互作用.
- 转录因子Bptf被确定为增强剂相互作用和OR转录的关键促进因子.
- 染色体间相互作用的破坏导致异常,多基因OR表达.
结论:
- 嗅觉受体转录是由相互作用增强剂的复杂网络调节的,通常跨越染色体.
- 通过诸如Bptf等因素促进的多种增强剂的协调作用,确保了单个OR基因的独特而强大的表达.
- 许多增强剂在单个OR位点上的随机趋同可能是嗅觉受体基因激活的特异性和可靠性的基础.
相关概念视频
01:03Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
14.8K
The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
14.8K
01:25Olfaction
50.1K
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...
50.1K
01:20Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
14.6K
Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
The olfactory...
14.6K
01:19Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
8.0K
Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
8.0K
01:29The Two-State Receptor Model
3.6K
The two-state receptor model explains a drug's interaction with receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors and ligand-gated ion channels, to induce or inhibit a biological response. When no natural ligands are present, a receptor exists in an equilibrium of inactive (Ri) and active (Ra) conformations. The inactive form does not produce a response, while the active form generates a basal effect known as constitutive activity.
The binding affinity of a drug determines its interaction with...
The binding affinity of a drug determines its interaction with...
3.6K
01:21G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
7.5K
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...
Sensory...
7.5K