The primary processes in odour perception, i.e. recognition and transduction of olfactory stimuli, are mediated by the chemosensory olfactory neurons. Interaction of odorous compounds with suitable receptor proteins in the membrane of a subset of cells elicits chemo-electrical transduction pathways, including second messenger cascades and ion channels, that modulate the excitability of the sensory neurons, i.e. converting the chemical stimulus into electrical impulses. The encoded information is conveyed via the axons onto distinct glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. Olfactory sensory cells expressing the same receptor type are segregated spatially in a distinct zone of the nasal epithelium and converge their axons to one or a few distinct glomeruli. The emerging chemotopic maps are considered to be crucial for processing and encoding sensory information of olfactory stimuli.
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February 2003
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Conference Article|
February 01 2003
Sense of smell: recognition and transduction of olfactory signals
H. Breer
H. Breer
1
Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 30, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany
1e-mail breer@uni-hohenheim.de
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
Copyright 2003 Biochemical Society
2003
Biochem Soc Trans (2003) 31 (1): 113–116.
Citation
H. Breer; Sense of smell: recognition and transduction of olfactory signals. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2003; 31 (1): 113–116. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bst0310113
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