Amino Acid- vs. Peptide-Odorants: Responses of Individual Olfactory Receptor Neurons in an Aquatic Species
Amino Acid- vs. Peptide-Odorants: Responses of Individual Olfactory Receptor Neurons in an Aquatic Species
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0053097
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发表时间：
2012-12-27
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Manzini, Ivan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hassenkloever, Thomas;Pallesen, Lars P.;Manzini, Ivan
氨基酸是广泛使用的水性嗅觉刺激物，被认为是寻找食物的线索。在天然水域中，氨基酸的主要来源是蛋白质的分解。但这一过程也会产生各种小肽作为中间切割产物。在目前的研究中，我们测试了氨基酸是否真的是它们结合的嗅觉受体的自然和足够的刺激。或者，这些嗅觉受体可能是多肽受体，也可以结合氨基酸，尽管亲和力较低。通过对非洲爪哇全水生幼虫主要嗅觉上皮急性切片的钙成像，我们发现氨基酸而不是多肽是更有效的水媒气味物质。
Amino acids are widely used waterborne olfactory stimuli proposed to serve as cues in the search for food. In natural waters the main source of amino acids is the decomposition of proteins. But this process also produces a variety of small peptides as intermediate cleavage products. In the present study we tested whether amino acids actually are the natural and adequate stimuli for the olfactory receptors they bind to. Alternatively, these olfactory receptors could be peptide receptors which also bind amino acids though at lower affinity. Employing calcium imaging in acute slices of the main olfactory epithelium of the fully aquatic larvae of Xenopus laevis we show that amino acids, and not peptides, are more effective waterborne odorants.