Abstract |
Localized to the vestibule of the nasal cavity, neurons of the Grueneberg ganglion (GG) respond to cool ambient temperatures. The molecular mechanisms underlying this thermal response are still elusive. Recently, it has been suggested that cool temperatures may activate a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in the GG, which would be reminiscent of thermosensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans. In search for other elements of such a cascade, we have found that the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel CNGA3 was strongly expressed in the GG and that expression of CNGA3 was confined to those cells that are responsive to coolness. Further experiments revealed that the response of GG neurons to cool temperatures was significantly reduced in CNGA3-deficient mice compared to wild-type conspecifics. The observation that a cGMP-activated non-selective cation channel significantly contributes to the coolness-evoked response in GG neurons strongly suggests that a cGMP cascade is part of the transduction process.
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Authors | Katharina Mamasuew, Stylianos Michalakis, Heinz Breer, Martin Biel, Joerg Fleischer |
Journal | Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS
(Cell Mol Life Sci)
Vol. 67
Issue 11
Pg. 1859-69
(Jun 2010)
ISSN: 1420-9071 [Electronic] Switzerland |
PMID | 20165899
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Cnga3 protein, mouse
- Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Cation Channels
- DNA Primers
- Olfactory Marker Protein
- Omp protein, mouse
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Topics |
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Cold Temperature
- Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Cation Channels
(deficiency, genetics, metabolism)
- DNA Primers
(genetics)
- Ganglia, Sensory
(cytology, metabolism)
- In Situ Hybridization
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Olfactory Marker Protein
(metabolism)
- Olfactory Pathways
(cytology, metabolism)
- Olfactory Receptor Neurons
(metabolism)
- Signal Transduction
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