Peripheral Processing and Coding of Gustatory Input

超出所提供的空间。本申请的目的是了解昆虫模型的口器上的味觉器官中的味觉受体细胞对天然味觉刺激的处理和编码。味觉感受器细胞构成了环境味觉信号的感觉过滤器，在昆虫中，它们将有关味觉刺激的信息直接传递到大脑中的味觉中心。因此，味觉受体细胞形成了最终决定动物接受还是拒绝食物的决策过程的第一层。这项研究的主要前提是，我们对摄食的神经机制知之甚少，特别是味觉器官的超微结构组织，味觉刺激的神经编码，或这些刺激引起的摄食行为。毛虫的味觉器官为解决味觉系统的问题提供了一个很好的系统。这些器官形成了一个相对简单的感觉系统。两个味觉器官，每个都有四个推定的味觉受体细胞，被认为在不同的行为或生态环境中对刺激做出反应。然而，味觉刺激物可以是相当复杂的，因为它们可以由多分子混合物组成。动物面临的任务是破译单个味觉，然后做出适当的喂养选择。我们的研究策略是首先描述味觉器官和其中的感受细胞的细胞和亚细胞组织。在第二步中，我们将使用摄食行为生物测定来测试哪些味觉刺激引起摄食或食物排斥。在第三步中，我们描述了味觉感受器细胞的神经反应，以选定的个人味觉刺激，以及混合物，并将相关的神经和行为反应。这些研究将以前所未有的方式提供从分子到行为的外周味觉加工的见解。性能现场=

EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. The goal of this application is to understand the processing and coding of natural taste stimuli by gustatory receptor cells that are housed in taste organs on the mouthparts of an insect model. Gustatory receptor cells constitute a sensory filter for environmental taste signals and in insects, they transfer information about taste stimuli directly to taste centers in the brain. Therefore, gustatory receptor cells form the first layer of a decision making process that ultimately determines whether food is accepted or rejected by the animal. The major premise of this research is that we know very little about the neural mechanisms that underlie feeding, specifically the ultrastructural organization of the taste apparatus, the neural coding of taste stimuli, or the feeding behavior evoked by these stimuli. The gustatory organs of caterpillars provide an excellent system to address questions about the taste system. These organs form a relatively simple sensory system. Two gustatory organs, each with four putative gustatory receptor cells, are thought to respond to stimuli in different behavioral or ecological contexts. However, taste stimuli can be fairly complex because they can be composed of multimolecular mixtures. The animal faces the task to decipher individual tastants and then to make an appropriate feeding choice. Our research strategy is to first describe the cellular and subcellular organization of taste organs and receptor cells therein. In a second step, we will use feeding behavioral bioassays to test which taste stimuli evoke feeding or food rejection. In a third step, we describe the neural responses of gustatory receptor cells to selected individual taste stimuli, as well as to mixtures, and will correlate the neural and behavioral responses. These studies will provide insights into peripheral taste processing from molecules to behavior in an unprecedented manner. PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================