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    Nat Rev Neurosci. 2010 Mar;11(3):188-200. Epub 2010 Feb 10.

    Olfactory signalling in vertebrates and insects: differences and commonalities.

    Source

    Center of Advanced European Studies and Research, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn, Germany. u.b.kaupp@caesar.de

    Abstract

    Vertebrates and insects have evolved complex repertoires of chemosensory receptors to detect and distinguish odours. With a few exceptions, vertebrate chemosensory receptors belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors that initiate a cascade of cellular signalling events and thereby electrically excite the neuron. Insect receptors, which are structurally and genetically unrelated to vertebrate receptors, are a complex of two distinct molecules that serves both as a receptor for the odorant and as an ion channel that is gated by binding of the odorant. Metabotropic signalling in vertebrates provides a rich panoply of positive and negative regulation, whereas ionotropic signalling in insects enhances processing speed.

    PMID:
    20145624
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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