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Virus-Mediated Overexpression of Vomeronasal Receptors and Functional Assessment by Live-Cell Calcium Imaging

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Olfactory Receptors

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1820))

Abstract

The mammalian vomeronasal organ (VNO) detects and transduces molecular cues emitted by other individuals that influence social behaviors such as mating and aggression. The detection of these chemosignals involves recognition of specific ligands by dedicated G protein-coupled receptors. Here, we describe recent methodological advances using a herpes virus-based amplicon delivery system to overexpress vomeronasal receptor genes in native, dissociated VNO neurons and to characterize corresponding cell responses to potential ligands through Ca2+ imaging. This methodology enables us to analyze the response patterns of single vomeronasal receptors to a large number of chemosensory stimuli.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants CH 920/2-1 (P.C.), Sonderforschungsbereich 894 project A17 (F.Z.), and Saarland University HOMFORexcellent grant (P.C.). We thank Benjamin Stein, María Teresa Alonso, and Trese Leinders-Zufall for their contributions to the work described here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany

    Pablo Chamero & Frank Zufall

  2. Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 0085 INRA-CNRS-IFCE-Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France

    Pablo Chamero

Authors
  1. Pablo Chamero
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  2. Frank Zufall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pablo Chamero .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Matemática Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fabio Marques Simoes de Souza

  2. Centro de Matemática Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Gabriela Antunes

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Chamero, P., Zufall, F. (2018). Virus-Mediated Overexpression of Vomeronasal Receptors and Functional Assessment by Live-Cell Calcium Imaging. In: Simoes de Souza, F., Antunes, G. (eds) Olfactory Receptors. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1820. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8609-5_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8609-5_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8608-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8609-5

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