Taste and pheromone perception in mammals and flies - PubMed (original) (raw)

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Taste and pheromone perception in mammals and flies

Hiroaki Matsunami et al. Genome Biol. 2003.

Abstract

The olfactory systems of insects and mammals have analogous anatomical features and use similar molecular logic for olfactory coding. The molecular underpinnings of the chemosensory systems that detect taste and pheromone cues have only recently been characterized. Comparison of these systems in Drosophila and mouse uncovers clear differences and a few surprising similarities.

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Figure 1

Figure 1

The location of chemosensory organs in the mouse and Drosophila. (a) A sensory neuron in the olfactory epithelium of mice expresses one of about 1,000 olfactory receptors. Neurons in the apical and basal layers of the vomeronasal organ express distinct, unrelated classes of G-protein-coupled pheromone receptors (V1Rs in the apical and V2Rs in the basal layer). In addition, a small family of MHC class I-like molecules is coexpressed with V2Rs in neurons of the basal layer. The taste cells in the tongue, palate and pharynx express other classes of GPCRs, one encoding sweet-taste receptors (T1Rs) and one encoding receptors for bitter compounds (T2Rs). Note that V1Rs and T2Rs are related to each other, as are V2Rs and T1Rs, respectively. (b) The olfactory neurons of Drosophila are located in two pairs of appendages in the head, the third antennal segment and the maxillary palps, and each neuron expresses very few, possibly just one, of the 61 olfactory receptor genes identified so far. The gustatory or taste sensory neurons are located in numerous organs, including the two labial palps on the head, internal sensory clusters in the pharynx (not shown), all the legs and the anterior wing margin. Each neuron expresses a few, possibly just one, gustatory receptor gene. A few gustatory receptor genes are also expressed in olfactory neurons of the antenna and maxillary palps.

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