The cross-adapting effects of chemical backgrounds on the response of primary chemoreceptor cells to superimposed stimuli were studied using NH(4) receptor cells, of known spectral tuning from the lobster (Homarus americanus). 2. Spectrum experiments: The spectral tuning of NH(4) receptor cells was investigated using NH(4)C1 and 7 other compounds selected as the most stimulatory non-best compounds for NH(4) cells from a longer list of compounds tested in previous studies. Based on their responses to the compounds tested, 3 spectral subpopulations of NH(4) Bet cells which responded second-best to Betaine (Bet; and 'pure' NH(4) cells, which responded to NH(4)C1 only (Fig.1). 3. Cross-adaptation experiments: Overall, cross-adaptation with Glu and Bet backgrounds caused suppression of response of NH(4) receptor cells to various concentrations of NH(4)C1. However, the different subpopulations of NH(4) cells were affected differently: (a) The stimulus-response functions of NH(4)-Glu cells were significantly suppressed by both a 3 micrometre (G3) and 300 micrometre (G300) Glu backgrounds. (b) The stimulus-response functions of NH(4)-Bet cells was not affected by a 3 micrometre (B3), but significantly suppressed by a 300 micrometre (B300) Bet background. (c) The stimulus-response functions of pure NH(4) cells were not affected by any of the Glu or Bet back grounds (Figs. 3, 4). 4. The stimulus-response functions of 5 cells from all different subpopulations were enhanced by cross-adaptation with the G300 and B300 back-grounds (Fig 4, Table 1). 5. Whereas self-adaptation caused parallel shifts in stimulus-response functions (Borroni and Atema 1988), cross-adaptation caused a decrease in slope of stimulus-response functions. Implications of the results from cross- and self-adaptation experiments on NH(4) receptor cells, for a receptor cell model are discussed.
