Qantitative study on the olfactory signal transduction system

(1)嗅觉传导的分子机制：单个嗅觉受体细胞通过嗅觉上皮的酶处理而解离。对孤立细胞进行全细胞形式的膜片钳方法。用溶解在林格氏溶液中的气味剂反复刺激细胞。气味强度与反应的关系表现出很高的协同性。此外，由胞质笼状cAMP的光解诱导的反应表现出类似的协同性。这表明在离子通道水平上存在非线性启动系统。(2)味觉传导的分子机制：通过真菌的酶处理从乳头分离单个味觉受体细胞，并进行由外向外的膜片钳方法。用溶解在林格氏溶液中的奎宁反复刺激膜贴片。令人惊讶的是，即使是平面膜，我们也可以检测到奎宁的反应。苦味的传递可能受离子通道的直接门控调控。(3)人的嗅觉在月经周期中会发生变化。本研究采用一种新提出的评价嗅觉感觉神经元嗅觉感知能力的指标--嗅觉对比度。用精神变态反应测试法获得了女性的嗅觉对比。在她们的月经周期中，对麝香蒸汽的嗅觉对比度有节奏地增加。由于这些时期与女性怀孕密切相关，麝香蒸气是性信息素的典型候选者，因此该结果可能提供了嗅觉变化部分影响人类性情绪的可能性。

(1) Molecular mechanisms of olfactory transduction : Single olfactory receptor cells were dissociated by enzymatic treatment of the olfactory epithelium. Solitary cells were subjected for whole-cell version of the patch clamp method. Cells were repeatedly stimulated by odorants dissolved into the Ringer' s solution. The relation between odorant intensity and response showed a very high cooperativity. Furthermore, response induced by the photolysis of cytoplasmic caged cAMP expressed similar coooperativity. This indicates that the non-linear booting system exist at the level-of the ionic channel.(2) Molecular mechanisms of taste transduction : Single taste receptor cells were dissociated by enzymatic treatment of fungi form papillae and subjected for outside-out version of the patch clamp method. Membrane patches were repeatedly stimulated by quinine dissolved into the Ringer' s solution. Surprisingly, even with plane membranes, we could detect quinine responses. Bitter transduction is likely to be regulated by the direct gating of ionic channel.(3) Human olfaction changes during the menstrual cycle. The investigation was carried out by focusing on an index termed olfactory contrast which has been just proposed to evaluate the olfactory perceptive ability of the olfactory sensory neurons. We obtained the olfactory contrast from females with psychophysicaI tests. During their menstrual cycles, the olfactory contrast against the musk vapor increased rhythmically. Since these periods are closely related to the pregnancy of females and musk vapor is a typical candidate for the sex pheromones, the result may provide a possibility that the sexual mood of human is partly influenced by the change in the olfactory sensation.