odorant-dependent generation of nitric oxide in mammalian olfactory sensory neuronsodorant-dependent生成一氧化氮在哺乳动物嗅觉感觉神经元.pdfVIP

Odorant-Dependent Generation of Nitric Oxide in Mammalian Olfactory Sensory Neurons 1,3 1 2 1 ¨ 1 Daniela Brunert , Stefan Kurtenbach , Sonnur Isik , Heike Benecke , Gunter Gisselmann , Wolfgang Schuhmann2,3, Hanns Hatt1,3, Christian H. Wetzel1,3* ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ 1 Lehrstuhl fur Zellphysiologie, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Bochum, Germany, 2 Lehrstuhl fur Analytische Chemie, AG Elektroanalytik und Sensorik, Ruhr-Universitat ¨ Bochum, Bochum, Germany, 3 International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Bochum, Germany Abstract The gaseous signalling molecule nitric oxide (NO) is involved in various physiological processes including regulation of blood pressure, immunocytotoxicity and neurotransmission. In the mammalian olfactory bulb (OB), NO plays a role in the formation of olfactory memory evoked by pheromones as well as conventional odorants. While NO generated by the neuronal isoform of NO synthase (nNOS) regulates neurogenesis in the olfactory epithelium, NO has not been implicated in olfactory signal transduction. We now show the expression and function of the endothelial isoform of NO synthase (eNOS) in mature olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of adult mice. Using NO-sensitive micro electrodes, we show that stimulation liberates NO from isolated wild-type OSNs, but not from OSNs of eNOS deficient mice. Integrated electrophysiological recordings (electro-olfactograms or EOGs) from the olfactory epithelium of these mice show that NO plays a