ODORANT-RECEPTOR INTERACTIONS IN OLFACTORY NEURONS

以往的研究主要集中在神经生理学方面。 嗅觉感受器神经元的特性。作为这项研究的结果，它 很明显，嗅黏膜中的其他细胞会影响 感受器神经元的反应特性。这些细胞是分泌细胞 嗅黏膜、支持细胞和腺泡中的分子 嗅腺细胞。这是这个实验室的长期目标 研究脊椎动物的综合生理活动 嗅黏膜包括分泌细胞的贡献。 拟议中的实验的具体目的是调查气味 和神经药物对支持细胞分泌的调节 以及嗅腺的腺泡细胞。短期目标是 在未来五年内要完成的是：a.调查 肾上腺素能调节腺体分泌的神经药理学和 计算机辅助形态计量学技术，B.识别肾上腺素能 嗅腺和/或毛细血管的神经支配 荧光组织化学技术，C.研究气味的调节 使用光学显微镜技术的分泌物，D.用来表征 利用传递进行分泌活动的细胞学表现 利用电子显微镜技术和E. 短路电流研究中分泌物的性质 使用室型制剂。建议的实验结果 将建立调节分泌的细胞基础 研究嗅黏膜的综合生理活动 包括嗅觉感受器神经元和前感受器事件 在脊椎动物的嗅觉中。特别是神经药理学研究 与鼻漏药物治疗的临床试验直接相关 和周围性鼻炎。

Previous research has focused primarily on the neurophysiological properties of olfactory receptor neurons. As a result of this research, it became clear that other cells in the olfactory mucosa influence the response properties of the receptor neurons. These cells are the secretory elements in the olfactory mucosa, the sustentacular cells and the acinar cells of the olfactory glands. It is the long-term aim of this laboratory to investigate the integrated physiological activity of the vertebrate olfactory mucosa including the contribution of the secretory cells. The specific aim of the proposed experiments is to investigate the odorant and neuropharmacological regulation of secretion in the sustentacular cells and the acinar cells of the olfactory glands. The short-term objectives to be accomplished within the next five years are: a. to investigate the adrenergic regulation of glandular secretion using neuropharmacological and computer-assisted morphometric techniques, b. to identify the adrenergic innervation of the olfactory glands and/or the capillary vasculature using fluorescence histochemical techniques, c. to study the odorant regulation of secretion using light microscopic techniques, d. to characterize the cytological manifestations of secretory activity using transmission electron microscopic techniques and e. to investigate the physiological properties of secretion in short-circuit current studies employing an Ussing chamber-type preparation. The results of the proposed experiments will establish the cellular basis for the regulation of secretion on which to study the integrated physiological activity of the olfactory mucosa including that of the olfactory receptor neurons and the prereceptor events in vertebrate olfaction. The neuropharmacological studies in particular are directly relevant to clinical trials of drug treatment for rhinorrhea and peripheral rhinitis.