Signals olfaction

The oscillation of membrane current or membrane potential is well-known to occur in biomembranes of neurons and heart cells, and a great number of experimental and theoretical studies on oscillations in biomembranes as well as artificial membranes [1,2] have been carried out from the viewpoint of their biological importance. The oscillation in the membrane system is also related to the sensing and signal transmission of taste and olfaction. Artificial oscillation systems with high sensitivity and selectivity have been pursued in order to develop new sensors [3-8]. 

Breer H. (1994). Signal recognition and chemo-electrical transduction in olfaction. Biosensors Bioelectron 9, 625-632. 

Duvall D. (1981). Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) chemical signals, II a replication with naturally breeding adults and a test of the Cowles and Phelan hypothesis of rattlesnake olfaction. J Exp Zool 218, 351-361. 

While the mammals predominate in their integration and representation of the sensory world, their noses still tell the brain directly about its chemical space. To explain the workings of accessory olfaction, we need to trace the path of a signal molecule from the moment it leaves its source until a response occurs in the recipient. The events which occur en route will determine the effectiveness of the intended communication. 

Hepper, P.G. (1990) Feotal Olfaction. In D.W. Macdonald, D. Muller-Schwarze, and S.E. Natynczuk (Eds.), Advances in Chemical Signals in Vertebrates. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 282-286. 

Porter, R.H., Varendi, H. and Winberg, J. (2001) The role of olfaction in the feeding behavior of human neonates. In A. Marchlewska-Koj, J.J. Lepri and D. Muller-Schwarze (Eds.), Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9. Kluwer Academic/Plenum, New York, pp. 417—422. 

Beyond that, the sense of olfaction does not depend on the concentration of the odorant concentration invariance. If you are exposed to jasmine at very low concentration, it smells like jasmine if the concentration is significantly raised, it still smells like jasmine. Perhaps more to the point is the concentration invariance of complex aromas such as that of coffee. The brain forms a single perception from complex inputs, regardless of the intensity of the signal. Olfaction has this property in common with taste. 

Foetal olfaction. In Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, vol. 5, ed. D. W. MacDonald, D. Miiller-Schwarze, and S. E. Natynczuk, pp. 282-288. Oxford Oxford University Press. 

Marlier, L., Schaal, B., Gaugler, C., and Messer, J. (2001). Olfaction in premature newborns detection and discrimination abilities two months before gestational term. In Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, vol. 9, ed. A. Marchlewska-Koj, J. J. Lepri, and D. Miiller-Schwarze, pp. 205-209. New York Kluwer Academic/Plenum. 

The relationship between central and peripheral oscillators is different in flies and mammals. In mammals, these oscillators form a hierarchy in which the central oscillator, which resides in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), functions as a master clock that is entrained by photic signals from the eye, and in turn drives subservient peripheral oscillators via humoral signals (Moore et al 1995, Yamazaki et al 2000, Kramer et al 2001, Cheng et al 2002). In contrast, both central and peripheral oscillators operate autonomously and are directly entrainable by light in Drosophila (Plautz et al 1997), thus obviating the need for a hierarchical system. Our results support the concept of independent oscillators in flies since central (sUN ) oscillators are not necessary for olfaction rhythms and local oscillators in antennae appear to be sufficient. 

The detection of light, smells, and tastes (vision, olfaction, and gustation, respectively) in animals is accomplished by specialized sensory neurons that use signal-transduction mechanisms fundamentally similar to those that detect hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth... 

We have now looked at four systems (hormone signaling, vision, olfaction, and gustation) in which membrane... 

Bruch, R. C. and Teeter, I. H., Second-messenger signaling mechanisms in olfaction, in Receptor Events and Transduction in Taste and Olfaction, Brand, I. G., Teeter, J. H., Cagan, R., and Kare, M. R., Eds., Marcel Dekker, New York, 1988, 283. 

These are exciting times in the field of chemosensory reception in general and olfaction in particular. In the decade since the landmark identification of a novel class of candidate odorant receptors (ORs) in rats (Buck and Axel, 1991), we have seen an explosion of similar studies involving other vertebrate as well as several insect species. In addition to an ever-increasing wealth of behavioral and physiological studies, insect systems provide arguably the most robust experimental system for the study of olfaction as well as a profound demonstration of the universal conservation of olfactory signal transduction mechanisms. 

Prestwich G. D. and Du G. (1997) Pheromone-binding proteins, pheromone recognition, and signal transduction in moth olfaction. In Insect Pheromone Research, New Directions, eds R. T. Carde and A. K. Minks, pp. 131-143. Chapman and Hall, New York. 

---