JN Fuel your research with LabChart
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


J Neurophysiol (March 23, 2005). doi:10.1152/jn.01299.2004
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
94/2/1001    most recent
01299.2004v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vogalis, F.
Right arrow Articles by Lucero, M. T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vogalis, F.
Right arrow Articles by Lucero, M. T.
Submitted on December 17, 2004
Accepted on March 17, 2005

Electrical coupling in sustentacular cells of the mouse olfactory epithelium

Fivos Vogalis1, Colleen C. Hegg1, and Mary T. Lucero1*

1 Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mary.lucero{at}m.cc.utah.edu.

Sustentacular cells (SCs) line the apical surface of the olfactory epithelium (OE) and provide trophic, metabolic and mechanical support for olfactory receptor neurons. Morphological studies have suggested that SCs possess gap junctions although physiological evidence for gap junctional communication in mammalian SCs is lacking. In the present study we investigated whether or not coupling exists between SCs situated in tissue slices of OE from neonatal (P0-P4) mice. Using whole-cell and cell-attached patch recordings from SCs, we demonstrate that SCs are electrically coupled via junctional resistances on the order of 300 M{Omega}. Under whole-cell recording conditions, Alexa 488 added to the pipette solution failed to reveal dye coupling between SCs. Electrical coupling was deduced from the bi-exponential decay of capacitive currents recorded from SCs and from the bell-shaped voltage-dependence of a P2Y-receptor activated current, both of which were abolished by 18{beta}-glycyrrhetinic acid (20-50 µM), a blocker of gap junctions. These data provide strong evidence for functional coupling between SCs, the physiological importance of which is discussed.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol.Home page
B. R. Grubb, T. D. Rogers, H. M. Kulaga, K. A. Burns, R. L. Wonsetler, R. R. Reed, and L. E. Ostrowski
Olfactory epithelia exhibit progressive functional and morphological defects in CF mice
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, August 1, 2007; 293(2): C574 - C583.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2005 by the The American Physiological Society.