About Our Lab...
Studies of the basic mechanisms underlying olfactory transduction are underway using the laboratory rat and inbred or transgenic strains of mice. After odors bind to olfactory receptor proteins expressed in the apical ends of the olfactory neurons, the concentration of second messengers in the cytoplasm of the cells increases. Subsequently, second messenger-modulated ion channels open eliciting an increaed frequency of firing of action potentials that conveys information to the brain. In order to understand this process of signal transduction we are studying the expression and function of cloned olfactory receptors. In addition, we use biophysical and electrophysiological techniques to identify and characterize the ion channels involved in olfactory transduction.
Because the olfactory neurons are continuously regenerating, we also study how the process of differentiation of the olfactory neuron impacts on the function of the olfactory system. In essence, the olfactory system rewires itself every few weeks. How this complex system, which has millions of olfactory receptor neurons connecting to thousands of different glomeruli in the olfactory bulb, accomplishes this without altering function is being investigated.
Finally, olfactory receptor neurons have certain features that impart
a unique advantage in the study of olfactory dysfunction and of the etiology
of disorders of central nervous system function. They are the only central
neurons that are readily available for biopsy in adult humans, allowing
investigators to sample from specific clinical subpopulations. We have
taken advantage of these unique features to study basic and clinical aspects
of olfactory transduction in humans.
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