Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
Everlasting Nature of Asia (ELNA), Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
J Anat. 2023 Sep;243(3):486-503. doi: 10.1111/joa.13873. Epub 2023 Apr 12.
Sea turtles use olfaction to detect volatile and water-soluble substances. The nasal cavity of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) comprises morphologically defined the anterodorsal, anteroventral, and posterodorsal diverticula, as well as a single posteroventral fossa. Here, we detailed the histological features of the nasal cavity of a mature female green turtle. The posterodorsal diverticulum contained spongy-like venous sinuses and a wave-shaped sensory epithelium that favored ventilation. Secretory structures that were significant in sensory and non-sensory epithelia were probably involved in protection against seawater. These findings suggested that green turtles efficiently intake airborne substances and dissolve water-soluble substances in mucous, while suppressing the effects of salts. In addition, positive staining of Gα that couples with olfactory, but not vomeronasal, receptors was predominant in all three types of sensory epithelium in the nasal cavity. Both of airborne and water-soluble odorants seemed to be detected in cells expressing Gα and olfactory receptors.
海龟利用嗅觉来感知挥发性和水溶性物质。绿海龟（Chelonia mydas）的鼻腔由形态定义明确的前背侧、前腹侧和后背侧憩室以及单个后腹侧陷凹组成。在这里，我们详细描述了成熟雌性绿海龟鼻腔的组织学特征。后背侧憩室包含海绵状静脉窦和波浪形感觉上皮，有利于通风。在感觉和非感觉上皮中具有重要意义的分泌结构可能参与了对海水的保护。这些发现表明，绿海龟能够有效地吸入空气传播的物质，并在黏液中溶解水溶性物质，同时抑制盐分的影响。此外，与嗅觉而非犁鼻器受体偶联的 Gα 的阳性染色在鼻腔中的所有三种感觉上皮中都占优势。空气传播和水溶性气味似乎都可以在表达 Gα 和嗅觉受体的细胞中检测到。
