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Sensory Transduction In The Vomeronasal Organ: The Role Of Protein Interactions, Jessica Brann

Jessica Brann

This dissertation discusses signal transduction cascades in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of the stinkpot turtle, Sternotherus odoratus and the Sprague-Dawley rat by investigating downstream signaling events leading to a vomeronasal receptor potential in response to a species-specific chemical. The VNO is the receptor portion of a distinct olfactory system found in most vertebrates that normally functions to detect socially relevant chemical cues. It is thought that chemical communication is transduced when a ligand (chemical or pheromone) binds to a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) in the plasma membrane of a vomeronasal sensory neuron (VSN). The G protein-coupled receptors are located on …