Chemosensory Transduction in Arthropods

Reception of chemicals via olfaction and gustation are prerequisites to find, distinguish, and recognize food and mates and to avoid dangers. Several receptor gene superfamilies are employed in arthropod chemosensation: inverse 7-transmembrane (7-TM) gustatory and olfactory receptors (GRs, ORs), 3-TM ionotropic glutamate-related receptors (IRs), receptor-guanylyl cyclases, transient receptor potential ion channels, and epithelial sodium channels. Some of these receptor gene families have ancient origins and expanded in several taxa, producing very large, variant gene families adapted to the respectively relevant odor ligands in species-specific environments. Biochemical and electrophysiological studies in situ as well as molecular genetics found evidence for G-protein-dependent signal transduction cascades for ORs, GRs, and IRs, suggesting that signal amplification is paramount for chemical senses. In contrast, heterologous expression studies argued for primarily ionotropic transduction as a prerequisite to interstimulus intervals in the range of microseconds.

The Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger Inhibitor, KB-R7943, Blocks a Nonselective Cation Channel Implicated in Chemosensory Transduction

The mechanism(s) of olfactory transduction in invertebrates remains to be fully understood. In lobster olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), a nonselective sodium-gated cation (SGC) channel, a presumptive transient receptor potential (TRP)C channel homolog, plays a crucial role in olfactory transduction, at least in part by amplifying the primary transduction current. To better determine the functional role of the channel, it is important to selectively block the channel independently of other elements of the transduction cascade, causing us to search for specific pharmacological blockers of the SGC channel. Given evidence that the Na+/Ca2+ exchange inhibitor, KB-R7943, blocks mammalian TRPC channels, we studied this probe as a potential blocker of the lobster SGC channel. KB-R7943 reversibly blocked the SGC current in both inside- and outside-out patch recordings in a dose- and voltage-dependent manner. KB-R7943 decreased the channel open probability without changing single channel amplitude. KB-R7943 also reversibly and in a dose-dependent manner inhibited both the odorant-evoked discharge of lobster ORNs and the odorant-evoked whole cell current. Our findings strongly imply that KB-R7943 potently blocks the lobster SGC channel and likely does so directly and not through its ability to block the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger.

Physiological and pathophysiological roles of extracellular ATP in chemosensory control of breathing

The purine nucleotide ATP mediates several distinct forms of sensory transduction in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. These processes share common mechanisms that involve the release of ATP to activate ionotropic P2X and/or metabotropic P2Y receptors. Extracellular ATP signalling plays an important role in ventilatory control, mediating both peripheral and central chemosensory transduction to changes in arterial levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. New data also suggest that extracellular ATP may play an important role in mediating certain neurophysiological responses to systemic inflammation. Here, we propose the novel concept that both peripheral and central neurophysiological effects of ATP may contribute to alterations in ventilatory control during inflammatory pathophysiological states.