Ultrastructural Analyses of Chemosensory Signal-Transduction

The main objective of our research is to investigate the subcellular sites where olfactory and gustatory (taste) chemosensory signal transduction takes place. Chemoreceptor cells have specialized hair-like structures, cilia or microvilli, which extend into nasal or oral cavities in olfactory and gustatory systems, and that thus are the parts of the chemoreceptor cells that are exposed to the ambient external environment that contains the odor or taste stimuli. We investigate whether the morphological compartmentalizations parallel functional ones, thus whether key molecules involved in chemosensory signaling are especially contained in cilia in the case of the main olfactory system, and in microvilli in the case of vomeronasal olfactory and gustatory chemoreception.

e-mail Dr. Menco
ph: 847.491.2866
fax: 847.491.5211

Selected References:

• Menco, B. Ph. M. (2005) The fine-structural distribution of G-protein receptor kinase 3, β-arrestin-2, Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and phosphodiesterase PDE1C2, and a Cl^--cotransporter in rodent olfactory epithelia. J. Neurocytol., 34; 11-36.

• Koo, J.H., S. Gill, L.K. Pannell, B.Ph.M. Menco, J.W. Margolis, & F.L. Margolis (2004) The interaction of Bex and OMP reveals a dimer of OMP with a short half-life. J. Neurochem., 90: 102-116. [abstract].

• Menco, B.Ph.M. & E.E. Morrison (2003) Morphology of the mammalian olfactory epithelium: Form, fine structure, function, and pathology. In: Ed., R. L. Doty. Handbook of Olfaction and Gustation, 2nd edition. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, pp. 17-49.

• Menco, B.Ph.M., V.McM. Carr, P.I. Ezeh, E.R. Liman & M.P. Yankova (2001) Ultrastructural localization of G-proteins and the channel protein TRP2 to microvilli of rat vomeronasal receptor cells. J. Comp. Neurol., 438: 468-489. [abstract].

Other Links:

• link to a more detailed research description

• Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS)

• European Chemoreception Research Organisation

• A link "out of concern" and to foster awareness (The Global Amphibian Assessment)