Odorant receptor complexes in olfactory cilia and axons

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The proposed research project is aimed to explore the molecular features of odorant receptor (OR) proteins segregated in the ciliary versus the axonal compartments of olfactory sensory neurons. Particular interest is focused on the proteins that are supposed to be associated with the OR, forming multimeric complexes in membranes of the cilia and axons. Exploring and identifying the molecular elements of such complexes are supposed to provide insight in molecular features determining the differential targeting and transfer mechanisms into the specific subcompartments. Furthermore, the receptor proteins in each compartment are supposed to be closely linked to distinct signalling elements. Since the proposed cellular response upon receptor activation is quite different for each compartment, it is most likely that at each location specific signalling cascades are involved. Identification of associated signalling elements would provide insight into these unexplored topics. Moreover, it will be of special interest to determine how these proposed protein complexes may be anchored onto the cytoskeleton; this appears to be of particular relevance in the axonal location, where the navigation processes of outgrowing axons as well as the interaxonal linkages may be affected via OR-mediated signalling processes.