%0 Journal Article
%A Untiet, Verena
%A Moeller, Lisa M.
%A Ibarra-Soria, Ximena
%A Sánchez-Andrade, Gabriela
%A Stricker, Miriam
%A Neuhaus, Eva M.
%A Logan, Darren W.
%A Gensch, Thomas
%A Spehr, Marc
%T Elevated Cytosolic Cl − Concentrations in Dendritic Knobs of Mouse Vomeronasal Sensory Neurons
%J Chemical senses
%V 41
%N 8
%@ 1464-3553
%C Oxford
%I Oxford Univ. Press
%M FZJ-2016-07438
%P 669 - 676
%D 2016
%X In rodents, the vomeronasal system controls social and sexual behavior. However, several mechanistic aspects of sensory signaling in the vomeronasal organ remain unclear. Here, we investigate the biophysical basis of a recently proposed vomeronasal signal transduction component—a Ca 2+ -activated Cl − current. As the physiological role of such a current is a direct function of the Cl − equilibrium potential, we determined the intracellular Cl − concentration in dendritic knobs of vomeronasal neurons. Quantitative fluorescence lifetime imaging of a Cl − -sensitive dye at the apical surface of the intact vomeronasal neuroepithelium revealed increased cytosolic Cl − levels in dendritic knobs, a substantially lower Cl − concentration in vomeronasal sustentacular cells, and an apparent Cl − gradient in vomeronasal neurons along their dendritic apicobasal axis. Together, our data provide a biophysical basis for sensory signal amplification in vomeronasal neuron microvilli by opening Ca 2+ -activated Cl − channels. 
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000384406500003
%$ pmid:27377750
%R 10.1093/chemse/bjw077
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/824942