2012年11月21日 訊 /生物谷BIOON/ --近日,，耶魯大學(xué)的研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，果實(shí)蠅觸角的神經(jīng)受體在缺乏突觸連接的情況下是可以相互通信的,。
研究人員猜測(cè)黑腹果蠅等觸角毛發(fā)感覺器充滿液體,，神經(jīng)細(xì)胞之間沒有直接的聯(lián)系溝通,，但可能存在一個(gè)突觸耦合機(jī)制,。在實(shí)驗(yàn)室中,，研究人員測(cè)試了幾個(gè)果實(shí)蠅標(biāo)本,。首先著眼于位于感覺器的兩種受體，這兩種受體分別用于檢測(cè)水果中甲基己酸酯和香蕉香味的2 -庚酮,。
他們證實(shí)了,，感受器的神經(jīng)元可能是通過電信號(hào)彼此溝通的。研究結(jié)果改變了科學(xué)以往家對(duì)化學(xué)感官了解,。這項(xiàng)新研究揭示了神經(jīng)元可能通過電信號(hào)彼此溝通,。當(dāng)檢測(cè)電流信號(hào)時(shí)，它發(fā)出電流到觸角毛發(fā)感覺器間共享流體,，這種電流可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致附近其他神經(jīng)元沉默,。
相關(guān)研究論文發(fā)表在Nature雜志上，總之,，新研究證實(shí)了神經(jīng)受體相互通信的不依賴于突觸連接,。（生物谷：Bioon.com）
doi:10.1038/nature11712
PMC:
PMID:
Non-synaptic inhibition between grouped neurons in an olfactory circuit
Chih-Ying Su,Karen Menuz,Johannes Reisert& John R. Carlson
Diverse sensory organs, including mammalian taste buds and insect chemosensory sensilla, show a marked compartmentalization of receptor cells; however, the functional impact of this organization remains unclear. Here we show that compartmentalized Drosophila olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) communicate with each other directly. The sustained response of one ORN is inhibited by the transient activation of a neighbouring ORN. Mechanistically, such lateral inhibition does not depend on synapses and is probably mediated by ephaptic coupling. Moreover, lateral inhibition in the periphery can modulate olfactory behaviour. Together, the results show that integration of olfactory information can occur via lateral interactions between ORNs. Inhibition of a sustained response by a transient response may provide a means of encoding salience. Finally, a CO2-sensitive ORN in the malaria mosquito Anopheles can also be inhibited by excitation of an adjacent ORN, suggesting a broad occurrence of lateral inhibition in insects and possible applications in insect control.
