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The extremely broad odorant response profile of mouse olfactory sensory neurons expressing the odorant receptor MOR256‐17 includes trace amine‐associated receptor ligands
Author(s) -
Tazir Bassim,
Khan Mona,
Mombaerts Peter,
Grosmaitre Xavier
Publication year - 2016
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.13153
Subject(s) - receptor , sensory system , biology , olfactory system , microbiology and biotechnology , olfactory epithelium , gene , olfaction , green fluorescent protein , neuroscience , biochemistry
The mouse olfactory system employs ~1100 G‐protein‐coupled odorant receptors ( OR s). Each mature olfactory sensory neuron ( OSN ) is thought to express just one OR gene, and the expressed OR determines the odorant response properties of the OSN . The broadest odorant response profile thus far demonstrated in native mouse OSN s is for OSN s that express the OR gene SR 1 (also known as Olfr124 and MOR 256‐3 ). Here we showed that the odorant responsiveness of native mouse OSN s expressing the OR gene MOR 256‐17 (also known as Olfr15 and OR 3 ) is even broader than that of OSN s expressing SR 1 . We investigated the electrophysiological properties of green fluorescent protein ( GFP )+ OSN s in a MOR 256‐17‐ IRES ‐tau GFP gene‐targeted mouse strain, in parallel with GFP + OSN s in the SR 1‐ IRES ‐tau GFP gene‐targeted mouse strain that we previously reported. Of 35 single chemical compounds belonging to distinct structural classes, MOR 256‐17+ OSN s responded to 31 chemicals, compared with 10 for SR 1+ OSN s. The 10 compounds that activated SR 1+ OSN s also activated MOR 256‐17+ OSN s. Interestingly, MOR 256‐17+ OSN s were activated by three amines (cyclohexylamine, isopenthylamine, and phenylethylamine) that are typically viewed as ligands for chemosensory neurons in the main olfactory epithelium that express trace amine‐associated receptor genes, a family of 15 genes encoding G‐protein‐coupled receptors unrelated in sequence to OR s. We did not observe differences in membrane properties, indicating that the differences in odorant response profiles between the two OSN populations were due to the expressed OR . MOR 256‐17+ OSN s appear to be at one extreme of odorant responsiveness among populations of OSN s expressing distinct OR genes in the mouse.