Qantitative study on the olfactory signal transduction system

(1)嗅觉传导的分子机制：用酶处理嗅觉上皮，分离单个嗅觉感受器细胞。分离细胞采用全细胞膜片钳方法。细胞被溶解在林格S溶液中的气味反复刺激。气味强度与反应之间的关系表现出很高的协同性。此外，胞质cAMP光解引起的反应也表现出类似的冷操作性。味觉传导的分子机制：单个味觉感受器细胞通过酶处理乳突形成的真菌来分离，并接受外向式膜片钳方法。用溶解在林格S溶液中的奎宁反复刺激膜片。令人惊讶的是，即使用平面膜，我们也能检测到奎宁反应。苦味的转导可能受离子通道的直接门控调节。(3)人类嗅觉在月经周期中的变化。这项研究是通过一个名为嗅觉对比的指标进行的，该指标是刚刚提出的评估嗅觉感觉神经元嗅觉能力的指标。我们通过心理生理测试获得了女性的嗅觉对比。在它们的月经周期中，对麝香蒸气的嗅觉反差会有节奏地增加。由于这些时期与雌性怀孕密切相关，而麝香蒸气是性信息素的典型候选者，这一结果可能提供了一种可能性，即人类的性情绪可能部分地受到嗅觉变化的影响。

(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.