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Ca 2+ –BK channel clusters in olfactory receptor neurons and their role in odour coding
Author(s) -
Bao Guobin,
Jong Daniëlle,
Alevra Mihai,
Schild Detlev
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13095
Subject(s) - olfactory bulb , olfactory receptor , neuroscience , chemistry , xenopus , bk channel , olfactory system , biophysics , electrophysiology , potassium channel , biology , biochemistry , central nervous system , gene
Abstract Olfactory receptor neurons ( ORN s) have high‐voltage‐gated Ca 2+ channels whose physiological impact has remained enigmatic since the voltage‐gated conductances in this cell type were first described in the 1980s. Here we show that in ORN somata of Xenopus laevis tadpoles these channels are clustered and co‐expressed with large‐conductance potassium ( BK ) channels. We found approximately five clusters per ORN and twelve Ca 2+ channels per cluster. The action potential‐triggered activation of BK channels accelerates the repolarization of action potentials and shortens interspike intervals during odour responses. This increases the sensitivity of individual ORN s to odorants. At the level of mitral cells of the olfactory bulb, odour qualities have been shown to be coded by first‐spike‐latency patterns. The system of Ca 2+ and BK channels in ORN s appears to be important for correct odour coding because the blockage of BK channels not only affects ORN spiking patterns but also changes the latency pattern representation of odours in the olfactory bulb.