Chemosensory Transduction

Dr. Frank Zufall is Professor of Physiology and Founding Director of the Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM) at the University of Saarland School of Medicine in Homburg, Germany. He previously held an Assistant Professorship at Yale University, New Haven, and tenured faculty positions at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He received a Diploma in Biology from the Freie Universität Berlin, a Ph.D. in Zoology from the Technische Universität München, and completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurobiology at Yale University School of Medicine. His research program focuses on understanding the organization and molecular basis of the sense of smell. Specifically, he investigates how social chemostimuli, such as pheromones and kairomones, are detected and transduced by sensory neurons and what the underlying neural circuits for odor-driven, innate behaviors are. He also investigates interactions between the immune and olfactory systems. Dr. Zufall has been recognized with a Takasago Research Award for the extensive contribution to the growth and knowledge in the field of olfactory science. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Chemical Senses. Dr. Steven D. Munger is Professor and Vice-Chair of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Director of the Center for Smell and Taste at the University Florida. He previously held tenured faculty positions at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Florida, and completed postdoctoral training with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Johns Hopkins University. His research program focuses on the molecular basis of chemosensation in olfactory, taste, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems. Specifically, he investigates how diverse chemosensory receptors and transduction mechanisms contribute to chemosensory function, impact ingestive and social behaviors, and interact with hormonal systems that regulate metabolism and nutrient response. Dr. Munger has been recognized with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the Ajinomoto Award for Young Investigators in Gustation. He is currently President-elect for the Association for Chemoreception Sciences.

Introduction and overview - Frank Zufall and Steven D. Munger

Section I. Social Odors and Chemical Ecology 1. Specialized chemosignaling that generates social and survival behavior in mammals - Lisa Stowers and Tsung-Han Kuo 2. Chemical ecology in insects - Bill Hansson and Dieter Wicher

Section II. Olfactory Transduction 3. Vertebrate odorant receptors - Kazushige Touhara, Yoshihito Niimura and Sayoko Ihara 4. Odor sensing by trace amine-associated receptors - Qian Li and Stephen D. Liberles 5. Aquatic olfaction - Sigrun Korsching 6. Insect olfactory receptors: An interface between chemistry and biology - Gregory M. Pask and Anandasankar Ray 7. Cyclic AMP signaling in the main olfactory epithelium - Christopher H. Ferguson and Haiqing Zhao 8. Cyclic GMP signaling in olfactory sensory neurons - Trese Leinders-Zufall and Pablo Chamero 9. Ciliary trafficking of transduction molecules – Jeremy C. McIntyre and Jeffrey R. Martens 10. Vomeronasal receptors: V1Rs, V2Rs and FPRs - Ivan Rodriguez 11. Vomeronasal transduction and cell signaling - Marc Spehr 12. Comparative olfactory transduction - Elizabeth A. Corey and Barry W. Ache

Section III. Gustatory Transduction 13. G protein-coupled taste receptors - Maik Behrens and Wolfgang Meyerhof 14. Mechanism of taste perception in Drosophila - Hubert Amrein 15. G protein-coupled taste transduction - Sue C. Kinnamon 16. The mechanisms of salty and sour taste - Steven D. Munger 17. Peptide signaling in taste transduction - Shingo Takai, Ryusuke Yoshida, Noriatsu Shigemura and Yuzo Ninomiya

Section IV. Stimulus Transduction in Other Chemodetection Systems 18. O2 and CO2 detection by the carotid and aortic bodies - Nanduri R. Prabhakar 19. Chemosensation in the ventricles of the central nervous system - Mari Aoki and Ulrich Boehm 20. Gut nutrient sensing - Sami Damak 21. Chemesthesis - Jay P. Slack