Norlin E M, Berghard A
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Mol Cell Neurosci. 2001 May;17(5):872-82. doi: 10.1006/mcne.2001.0976.
The intracellular signal transduction machinery of heterotrimeric G-protein coupled odorant and putative pheromone receptors converts odorous information into a cellular response. We have investigated for the presence of 18 members of the family termed "regulators of G-protein signaling" (RGS) in primary olfactory sensory neurons of the main as well as the accessory (vomeronasal) system of the mouse. Unexpectedly, expression of a few RGS members show spatial restrictions correlating with the patterns described for G-protein coupled receptors in these two types of olfactory neurons. RGS3 was selectively coexpressed with the Galphai2 G-protein subunit in a subpopulation of vomeronasal neurons. The mutually exclusive spatial extents of RGS9 and RGSZ1 expression in main olfactory neurons corresponded precisely to that of certain odorant receptor zones. This renders these RGS members the first described intracellular signal transduction components with a potential role in the spatially organized sensory coding in the main olfactory system.
异源三聚体G蛋白偶联的气味受体和假定的信息素受体的细胞内信号转导机制将气味信息转化为细胞反应。我们研究了在小鼠主要嗅觉系统以及辅助（犁鼻器）系统的初级嗅觉感觉神经元中18个被称为“G蛋白信号调节因子”（RGS）家族成员的存在情况。出乎意料的是，一些RGS成员的表达显示出空间限制，这与这两种嗅觉神经元中G蛋白偶联受体所描述的模式相关。RGS3在犁鼻器神经元的一个亚群中与Gαi2 G蛋白亚基选择性共表达。RGS9和RGSZ1在主要嗅觉神经元中相互排斥的空间范围与某些气味受体区域的范围精确对应。这使得这些RGS成员成为首次被描述的在主要嗅觉系统的空间组织感觉编码中具有潜在作用的细胞内信号转导成分。
