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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 97/6/4058    most recent 00247.2007v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rolen, S. H. Articles by Caprio, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Rolen, S. H. Articles by Caprio, J.

Processing of Bile Salt Odor Information by Single Olfactory Bulb Neurons in the Channel Catfish

Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Submitted 6 March 2007; accepted in final form 13 April 2007

A chemotopic map of biologically relevant odorants (that include amino acids, bile salts, and nucleotides) exists in the olfactory bulb (OB) of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Neurons processing bile salt odorant information lie medially within this OB map; however, information as to how single neurons process bile salt odorant information is lacking. In the present report, recordings were obtained from 51 OB neurons from 30 channel catfish to determine the excitatory molecular receptive range (EMRR) of bile salt responsive neurons. All recordings were performed in vivo within the medial portions of the OB using extracellular electrophysiological techniques. Excitatory thresholds to bile salts typically ranged between 0.1 and 10 µM. The bile salt specificity of OB neurons were divided into three groups: neurons excited by taurine-conjugated bile salts only (group T), neurons excited by nonconjugated bile salts only (group N), and neurons excited by at least one member of each of the three classes of bile salts tested (group G). In addition to the conjugating group at C24 of the side-chain, OB neurons discriminated bile salts by the molecular features present at three other carbon positions (C3, C7, and C12) along the steroid backbone. These data suggest that OB neurons are selectively excited by combinations of molecular features found on the side-chain and along the steroid nucleus of bile salt molecules.

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