Adult-like complexity of the larval antennal lobe ofD. melanogaster despite markedly low numbers of odorant receptor neurons

2002 ◽  
Vol 445 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fran�ois Python ◽  
Reinhard F. Stocker
Keyword(s):  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Receptor Neurons

scholarly journals Transcriptomics and neuroanatomy of the clonal raider ant implicate an expanded clade of odorant receptors in chemical communication

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (49) ◽  
pp. 14091-14096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean K. McKenzie ◽  
Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda ◽  
Vanessa Ruta ◽  
Daniel J. C. Kronauer
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Evolution ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Ventral Surface ◽  
Odorant Receptors ◽  
Gene Duplications ◽  
Basiconic Sensilla ◽  
Evolution Of Sociality ◽  
Receptor Neurons ◽  
Or Genes

A major aim of sociogenomic research is to uncover common principles in the molecular evolution of sociality. This endeavor has been hampered by the small number of specific genes currently known to function in social behavior. Here we provide several lines of evidence suggesting that ants have evolved a large and novel clade of odorant receptor (OR) genes to perceive hydrocarbon-based pheromones, arguably the most important signals in ant communication. This genomic expansion is also mirrored in the ant brain via a corresponding expansion of a specific cluster of glomeruli in the antennal lobe. We show that in the clonal raider ant, hydrocarbon-sensitive basiconic sensilla are found only on the ventral surface of the female antennal club. Correspondingly, nearly all genes in a clade of 180 ORs within the 9-exon subfamily of ORs are expressed exclusively in females and are highly enriched in expression in the ventral half of the antennal club. Furthermore, we found that across species and sexes, the number of 9-exon ORs expressed in antennae is tightly correlated with the number of glomeruli in the antennal lobe region innervated by odorant receptor neurons from basiconic sensilla. Evolutionary analyses show that this clade underwent a striking gene expansion in the ancestors of all ants and slower but continued expansion in extant ant lineages. This evidence suggests that ants have evolved a large clade of genes to support pheromone perception and that gene duplications have played an important role in the molecular evolution of ant communication.

Antennal Lobe Processing Increases Separability of Odor Mixture Representations in the Honeybee

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 2185-2194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Deisig ◽  
Martin Giurfa ◽  
Jean Christophe Sandoz
Keyword(s):  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Insect Brain ◽  
Output Level ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Odor Mixture ◽  
Receptor Neurons ◽  
Evoked Activity ◽  
Input Level ◽  
Olfactory Space

Local networks within the primary olfactory centers reformat odor representations from olfactory receptor neurons to second-order neurons. By studying the rules underlying mixture representation at the input to the antennal lobe (AL), the primary olfactory center of the insect brain, we recently found that mixture representation follows a strict elemental rule in honeybees: the more a component activates the AL when presented alone, the more it is represented in a mixture. We now studied mixture representation at the output of the AL by imaging a population of second-order neurons, which convey AL processed odor information to higher brain centers. We systematically measured odor-evoked activity in 22 identified glomeruli in response to four single odorants and all their possible binary, ternary and quaternary mixtures. By comparing input and output responses, we determined how the AL network reformats mixture representation and what advantage this confers for odor discrimination. We show that increased inhibition within the AL leads to more synthetic, less elemental, mixture representation at the output level than that at the input level. As a result, mixture representations become more separable in the olfactory space, thus allowing better differentiation among floral blends in nature.

scholarly journals Stimulus-selective lateral signaling between olfactory afferents enables parallel encoding of distinct CO2 dynamics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhruv Zocchi ◽  
Elizabeth J. Hong
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Neurotransmitter Release ◽  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Olfactory Receptor Neurons ◽  
Lateral Interactions ◽  
Presynaptic Release ◽  
Receptor Neurons ◽  
Parallel Encoding ◽  
Co2 Dynamics

AbstractAn important problem in sensory processing is how lateral interactions that mediate the integration of information across sensory channels function with respect to their stimulus tunings. We demonstrate a novel form of stimulus-selective crosstalk between olfactory channels that occurs between primary olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). Neurotransmitter release from ORNs can be driven by two distinct sources of excitation, feedforward activity derived from the odorant receptor and lateral input originating from specific subsets of other ORNs. Consequently, levels of presynaptic release can become dissociated from firing rate. Stimulus-selective lateral signaling results in the distributed representation of CO2, a behaviorally important environmental cue that elicits spiking in only a single ORN class, across multiple olfactory channels. Different CO2-responsive channels preferentially transmit distinct stimulus dynamics, thereby expanding the coding bandwidth for CO2. These results generalize to additional odors and olfactory channels, revealing a subnetwork of lateral interactions between ORNs that reshape the spatial and temporal structure of odor representations in a stimulus-specific manner.One Sentence SummaryA novel subnetwork of stimulus-selective lateral interactions between primary olfactory sensory neurons enables new sensory computations.

scholarly journals Interplay between axonal Wnt5-Vang and dendritic Wnt5-Drl/Ryk signaling controls glomerular patterning in the Drosophila antennal lobe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huey Hing ◽  
Jennifer Snyder ◽  
Noah Reger ◽  
Lee G. Fradkin
Keyword(s):  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Planar Cell Polarity ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Projection Neuron ◽  
Olfactory Receptor Neurons ◽  
Antibody Staining ◽  
Cell Type Specific ◽  
Receptor Neurons ◽  
Signaling Components ◽  
Biphasic Responses

Despite the importance of dendritic targeting in neural circuit assembly, the mechanisms by which it is controlled still remain incompletely understood. We previously showed that in the developing Drosophila antennal lobe, the Wnt5 protein forms a gradient that directs the ~45° rotation of a cluster of projection neuron (PN) dendrites, including the adjacent DA1 and VA1d dendrites. We report here that the Van Gogh (Vang) transmembrane planar cell polarity (PCP) protein is required for the rotation of the DA1/VA1d dendritic pair. Cell type-specific rescue and mosaic analyses showed that Vang functions in the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), suggesting a codependence of ORN axonal and PN dendritic targeting. Loss of Vang suppressed the repulsion of the VA1d dendrites by Wnt5, indicating that Wnt5 signals through Vang to direct the rotation of the DA1 and VA1d glomeruli. We observed that the Derailed (Drl)/Ryk atypical receptor tyrosine kinase is also required for the rotation of the DA1/VA1d dendritic pair. Antibody staining showed that Drl/Ryk is much more highly expressed by the DA1 dendrites than the adjacent VA1d dendrites. Mosaic and epistatic analyses showed that Drl/Ryk specifically functions in the DA1 dendrites in which it antagonizes the Wnt5-Vang repulsion and mediates the migration of the DA1 glomerulus towards Wnt5. Thus, the nascent DA1 and VA1d glomeruli appear to exhibit Drl/Ryk-dependent biphasic responses to Wnt5. Our work shows that the final patterning of the fly olfactory map is the result of an interplay between ORN axons and PN dendrites, wherein converging pre- and postsynaptic processes contribute key Wnt5 signaling components, allowing Wnt5 to orient the rotation of nascent synapses through a PCP mechanism.

Olfactory Microcircuits in Drosophila Melanogaster

2017 ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
Jürgen Rybak ◽  
Bill S. Hansson
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Mushroom Body ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Order Processing ◽  
Vinegar Fly ◽  
Maxillary Palps

In the vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster), the neuronal pathway that processes olfactory information is organized into multiple layers: a peripheral set of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs); the primary olfactory center, or antennal lobe (AL); and two second-order neuropils, the mushroom body (MB) and lateral horn (LH). Odorants are detected by the dendrites of OSNs housed in sensilla on the maxillary palps and antennae. The OSN axons converge onto spherical synaptic neuropil within the AL termed glomeruli. OSNs that express the same odorant receptor project to the same glomerulus in a one-to-one fashion, forming discrete olfactory pathways. In the AL, a network of local interneurons (LNs) and projection neurons (PNs) contribute to the first-order processing within the glomeruli. Two types of PNs constitute the principal, parallel output pathways made by PN axons that end in the second-order neuropils of the MB and LH: uniglomerular PNs (uPNs) and multiglomerular PNs (mPNs).

scholarly journals Cholinergic calcium responses in cultured antennal lobe neurons of the migratory locust

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor A. Bergmann ◽  
Gerd Bicker
Keyword(s):  
Olfactory Receptor ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Antennal Lobe ◽  
Locusta Migratoria ◽  
Cytosolic Calcium ◽  
Olfactory Receptor Neurons ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Migratory Locust ◽  
Local Interneurons ◽  
Receptor Neurons

AbstractLocusts are advantageous organisms to elucidate mechanisms of olfactory coding at the systems level. Sensory input is provided by the olfactory receptor neurons of the antenna, which send their axons into the antennal lobe. So far, cellular properties of neurons isolated from the circuitry of the olfactory system, such as transmitter-induced calcium responses, have not been studied. Biochemical and immunocytochemical investigations have provided evidence for acetylcholine as classical transmitter of olfactory receptor neurons. Here, we characterize cell cultured projection and local interneurons of the antennal lobe by cytosolic calcium imaging to cholinergic stimulation. We bulk loaded the indicator dye Cal-520 AM in dissociated culture and recorded calcium transients after applying cholinergic agonists and antagonists. The majority of projection and local neurons respond with increases in calcium levels to activation of both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. In local interneurons, we reveal interactions lasting over minutes between intracellular signaling pathways, mediated by muscarinic and nicotinic receptor stimulation. The present investigation is pioneer in showing that Cal-520 AM readily loads Locusta migratoria neurons, making it a valuable tool for future research in locust neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, and neurodevelopment.

scholarly journals The Emergence of Insect Odorant Receptor-Based Biosensors

Biosensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Bohbot ◽  
Sefi Vernick
Keyword(s):  
Odorant Receptor ◽  
Ionic Current ◽  
Olfactory Receptor Neurons ◽  
Cognate Receptor ◽  
Current State ◽  
Binding Event ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Sensitivity And Selectivity ◽  
Receptor Neurons ◽  
State Of Research

The olfactory receptor neurons of insects and vertebrates are gated by odorant receptor (OR) proteins of which several members have been shown to exhibit remarkable sensitivity and selectivity towards volatile organic compounds of significant importance in the fields of medicine, agriculture and public health. Insect ORs offer intrinsic amplification where a single binding event is transduced into a measurable ionic current. Consequently, insect ORs have great potential as biorecognition elements in many sensor configurations. However, integrating these sensing components onto electronic transducers for the development of biosensors has been marginal due to several drawbacks, including their lipophilic nature, signal transduction mechanism and the limited number of known cognate receptor-ligand pairs. We review the current state of research in this emerging field and highlight the use of a group of indole-sensitive ORs (indolORs) from unexpected sources for the development of biosensors.

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